


Normal Lives: Outtakes

by Delta_Rose



Series: After the War [4]
Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Companion Piece, Deleted Scenes, M/M, Phone Calls, Phone Sex, Sex Toys, Smut, Text Messages
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-05
Updated: 2018-08-08
Packaged: 2018-08-19 15:11:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 33
Words: 142,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8213692
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Delta_Rose/pseuds/Delta_Rose
Summary: It's finally here as promised!This is the Extras for Normal Lives (if you haven't figured that out).I am still taking requests for this so as your reading Normal Lives and really want me to cover something I kind of skipped over let me know so I can cover it here as a chapter.For the first chapter I want to connect Normal Lives with After the War. So I decided to do Will's last day at camp.Like Normal Lives I will be posting once a week on Wednesdays.





	1. Don't Say Goodbye, I hate Goodbyes

**Author's Note:**

> It's finally here as promised!
> 
> This is the Extras for Normal Lives (if you haven't figured that out).  
> I am still taking requests for this so as your reading Normal Lives and really want me to cover something I kind of skipped over let me know so I can cover it here as a chapter.
> 
> For the first chapter I want to connect Normal Lives with After the War. So I decided to do Will's last day at camp.
> 
> Like Normal Lives I will be posting once a week on Wednesdays.

            Will was positive that this was going to be the most awkward car ride of his life. He wasn’t even halfway through a fourteen hour trip home from camp crammed into his mom’s tiny Honda. The sheer length of the car ride alone was enough to make for a less-then-pleasant trip. But Will was also painfully aware that he smelled like sex and lube. And he could feel the scratches from the night before that covered his back. The morning had started out so hopefully too, Will remembered mournfully.

            He had woken up well after sunrise. Unusual for him but it didn’t seem all that strange considering that he hadn’t fallen asleep until well after four a.m. He stretched carefully, or as much as he could with Nico using his chest as a pillow. Will’s muscles complained at the movement, sore from the over-exertion the night before. More than worth it, Will thought as he craned his neck to see the clock resting on Nico’s nightstand. It was a little after nine in the morning, Will couldn’t remember the last time he had slept in so late.

            Nico stirred, a soft sigh escaped his full lips, and Will laid back down. The son of Apollo couldn’t care last if he overslept. The comforting weight of Nico at his side was so soothing it could easily lull him back to sleep.

            Thoughtlessly, Will started strumming his fingers against Nico’s back gently. He stared up at the black ceiling enjoying the darkness of Cabin 13. Will wasn’t really sure how much time had passed before Nico stirred again. 

“Stop moving.” Nico grumbled as Will felt Nico's dark lashes flutter open against his chest “I’m trying to sleep.”

            “Sorry,” Will chuckled an apology. He looked down his body at Nico curled at his side. “but since when are you a light sleeper?”

            Nico made an indignant huffing sounded before he stretched. “Since my stupid boyfriend is only going to be at camp for another couple hours.” The son of Hades rested his chin on Will’s chest and stared up at him with midnight black eyes. “It makes it a little hard to sleep.”

            “We still managed to sleep through breakfast.” Will noted.

            Nico grinned up at him wickedly “Well, last night was quite a workout.” He commented.

            “More of a workout then sword fighting with Percy?” Will asked playfully.

            Nico kissed Will’s chest absently. “Way more!” He stated. Nico shifted and twisted on the bed until he was on top of Will. He straddled the son of Apollo waist with a hand on either side of the blonde’s head. “More fun too” He informed suggestively.

            “Mmmmm” Will hummed pleasantly. He began lazily running his hands over Nico’s thighs and along his sides “Is that so?” Will asked playfully as he squirmed down a little on the bed under Nico’s weight.

            Nico bit his lower lip and nodded in the affirmative. His dark eyes fluttered bashfully. Will brought his hand to rest on Nico’s narrow hips. “Maybe we should skip breakfast and workout a little instead?” Will suggested provocatively.

            Nico didn’t answer, at least not with his words. The son of Hades leaned down and pressed his lips against Will’s firmly. Will happily moved his lips against his boyfriend's. The son of Apollo was content to bring his hands up to stroke Nico’s well-toned back. Why was he going back to Tennessee? Will wondered as Nico’s tongue flicked against his lips playfully. There was certainly nothing this amazing there.

            Lazily, Will worked his hands down until they moved over the well-formed curve of Nico’s backside. The son of Hades moaned softly against Will’s lips which only encouraged him. He started squeezing and kneading the muscular flesh. Much to Will’s pleasure, Nico kept sighing and mewing as they kissed.

            Neither seemed to be in no rush to move things along. That was fine by Will, after all the passion the night before slow was a nice change. Time seemed to stop, at least within the Hades cabin, as they caressed. Will wasn’t sure how long they had been like that before Nico rolled his hips gently. The movement caused his hard member to rub against Will’s. The son of Apollo groaned deep in his throat before gripping Nico’s backside more firmly. Will used his hands to guide Nico’s next movement. 

            The god of horrible time reared his ugly head once again, much to Will's frustration. There was a sudden, frantic series of knocking at the door. Nico groaned and pulled out of the kiss just barely. “It’s probably just Percy” Nico informed before pressing a kiss against Will’s jaw. “Just ignore it, he’ll go away.”

            Nico returned to kissing against Will’s jaw and throat. Will wasn’t going to argue with his boyfriend's assurances. Nico moved up to nibble on his ear, and rolled his hips a few more times. Will had completely forgotten about the knocking until it came again.

            After a succession of knocks against the door, Will reluctantly paused in his message of Nico’s perfect backside to growl. “Go away!” There was silence and Will returned his attention to one of the son of Hades’ best features.

The cabin door opened unexpectedly. Early morning sunlight suddenly filled the cabin casting away the shadows. The black marble floor glistened in the morning light. 

Nico reacted first. He yelping with surprise before rolling off of Will and pulling at the bedding quickly. Nico was practically buried in blankets. Still, the son of Hades turned and hid his face in Will’s shoulder.

Will used what little blankets Nico had left him to make sure his more private body parts were covered. He turned and glared as the person knocking entered  _uninvited_. Lou Ellen strolled into Nico’s cabin like she owned the place which was bold and very Lou Ellen. At that moment, Will wished they weren’t friends so he could hate her.

“Will, there you are!” She exclaimed as her eyes zeroed in on Will sprawled out on Nico’s bed. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

           Nico whined quietly and tried harder to hide himself in Will’s side. Will felt him tug at the blankets in an attempt to completely bury himself. Will hissed and grabbed at the small square of blankets left to him before Nico took that too. Looking toward his friend standing in a halo of summer sunlight “Lou, get OUT!”

            Lou Ellen huffed and pressed her hands against her hips. “Will, didn’t Kayla find you last night?”

“No” Will couldn’t believe he was actually having this conversation. Feeling slightly uncomfortable Will squirmed. He wished Nico would surrender a little more of the blankets for coverage. “I never went back to my cabin last night”

Lou Ellen smirked “Obviously”

“Why are you here?” Will asked now feeling more annoyed then concerned.

Lou tilted her head to one side and eyed Will sympathetically for a moment before explaining. “Transport time changed.”

“What!?!” Will sat up in surprise. Next to him, Nico hisses and grabbed the blankets “To when?”

“10:30” Lou informed plainly.

“What!” Will exclaimed in disbelief “That’s like an hour from now!” he declared with a growing sense of panic “I haven’t even packed yet!”

“You might want to get on that.” Lou tried to sound sympathetic but Will knew her too well. She was barely holding in a fit of laughter.

Frantic, Will went to get out of bed only in the last second to remember he was completely naked. Settling back down and taking extra care to make sure he was covered he eyed his friend seriously. “Lou, you need to leave.”

“What?” Lou laughed with a smirk “Do you think I’ve never seen a dic…..?”

“You’ve never seen mine,” Will cut her off. “and I would like to keep it that way!” he declared firmly “Now out!” Will pointed toward the door that Lou Ellen had thoughtlessly left open.

“Alright,” the daughter of Hecate sighed and throw up her hands in defeat. She turned and walked toward the door. “But you might want to hurry”

Will was frozen until he heard the door shut with a  _click_ behind Lou Ellen. With the Hades cabin once again cast into a world of shadows Will propelled himself out of bed. He desperately tried to gather his up all his clothes. They were scattered over Nico’s floor amongst the flower petals and burnt out candles.

Amidst his clumsy efforts to get pull his clothes on Will apologized over and over and over again. He apologized to Nico for Lou Ellen’s interruption. He apologized for the time they were supposed to have but was now ripped away from them. He apologized for leaving at all. Will apologized for all of it repeatedly.

Nico, for his part, was the perfect boyfriend. He got dressed quietly, handing Will items of his clothing as he came across them. As Will apologized incessantly Nico always replied with the same thing “Will, it’s alright. I love you.”

Will realized he probably could have gotten dressed more quickly if he hadn’t been in fight or flight mode but there really wasn’t anything he could do about that. The only thing that stopped him from running at full speed to the Apollo cabin was Nico. As soon as they stepped into the sun, Nico had interlaced his fingers in Will’s and urged him to take a more causal pace.

It wasn’t like Will couldn’t handle pressure. He faced it all the time in the infirmary. He had fought on the frontlines of two demigod wars. Still, every once and a while a regular-life thing caught him off-guard. Maybe it was the thought of how disappointed his mom would be if he missed his flight. 

That had always been part of Nico’s appeal. The son of Hades always appeared like a sea of calm. After they had become close and then started dating Will had realized that was just an illusion. Nico was a violent storm hidden by the darkness of a moonless night. All of his turmoil was locked away behind his dark eyes.

When they reached the Apollo cabin, Will quickly became a tornado of clothes and books. Nico calmly came up behind him and neatly folding clothes and tucking things into Will’s luggage. As Will tossed the last of his medical books on his bed he had a sudden and unfortunate realization “Shit!” Will cursed loudly. As soon as the word slipped from his lips he was glad the Apollo cabin was currently empty. None of his younger sibling were around to hear to hear his bad language.

            “Language!” Nico hissed disapprovingly.

            “Sorry” Will replied. Under different circumstances Will found Nico’s old-fashioned views on cursing cute. Right now, however, he didn’t have time to enjoy it. “It’s just, the infirmary”

            “We took care of that yesterday” Nico stated deadpan.  

            “Yeah” Will agreed as he began rubbing absently at the back of his neck “Most of it.”

            Nico scowled “What’s left to be done?” he asked.

            “Just the inventory, and the monthly orders, and possibly the laundry.” Will replied trying to smile over his guilt.

            Nico sighed “Why didn’t we take care of that stuff yesterday?”

            Will made a face “You had started looking bored” which was technically true. Nico had propped himself up on the infirmary in-take desk. His legs stretched out with his hands pressed against the wooden frame of the desk. Nico had looked incredibly bored but also incredibly hot. The longer they had stayed in the infirmary a more of a distraction it had become. When Will had started fantasizing about having his way with Nico on that desk he had declared the infirmary work done in hopes they would go somewhere more private.

            Nico eyed him critically for a long moment. He asking “You had been thinking about infirmary sex, hadn’t you?”

            “Maybe a little” Will admitted.

            Nico rolled his eyes “You’re impossible.”

            “If you don’t want me to think about sex all the time” Will defended. “you should stop looking so hot when you do mundane things like standing around.”

            Nico pulled the shirt Will was holding out of his hands and made quick work of folding it. He then tossed it in Will’s suitcase. “I’ll take care of it.”

            Will was confused at first before he realized Nico was talking about the infirmary. “But Nic” Will protested. It was a thoughtful offer, but the infirmary wasn’t Nico’s responsibility. “you don’t know the procedures, where anything goes…..”

            “Will, I’m pretty smart,” Nico reminded him dryly. “and I’ve listen to you talk about the infirmary enough.” the son of Hades shrugged “I’m sure I can figure it out.”

            Will wanted to argue but Nico fixed him with one of those stares that screamed  _Drop it_. Will shoved the last of his belongings into his suitcase before he walked with Nico to the infirmary. Once there he gave Nico all the paperwork he would need. He wanted to explain everything but there wasn’t that kind of time. Nico shoed him, insisting if he could fight monsters he could handle infirmary paperwork.

            “Are you sure?” Will asked feeling guilty. “I can just leave it for Austin,” he offered “It probably won’t get done but still.”

            “Yes, Will I’m sure.” Nico replied sounding mildly annoyed. He gestured toward the door “Now hurry up or you’ll miss your ride.”

            Will grabbed his luggage and started for the door. He stopped long before he reached it. Thoughtlessly, Will dropped his bags where he stood. “I don’t want to go!” he declared walking back to where Nico was standing by the intake desk “I don’t want to leave you.”

            Nico looked up at him and sucks in a controlled breath. It was subtle but Will noticed it still. The son of Apollo can tell what Nico was doing, he was trying hard to not say ‘ _then don’t go_ ’. His boyfriend was trying to make leaving easier for Will even though he too didn’t want Will to leave.

“We are going to see each other in a few months, and we’ll talk all the time.” Nico stated. Will couldn’t help but notice that it sounded rehearsed. “It will barely feel like you’re gone, you’ll see.”

            Will grabbed Nico’s face and kissed him deeply for a long moment. Releasing him only when Will’s own lungs burned for air. He pressed his forehead against Nico’s and stared into the son of Hades eyes intensely “I love you so much”

            “I love you too” Nico sighed. He lingered for a moment gazing into Will’s eyes before pulling away gently. “Now get going!” He ordered although there was little force in his words.

            Will had to force his feet to move, to listen to Nico’s words. He managed it but just barely. As he walked toward Half-Blood Hill, his bags weighing him down like thousand pound weights. Will tried to remember why he had to go back to Tennessee, why he couldn’t stay at camp. There were lots of year-around campers, and Will had done it once, it wasn’t so bad. Will would bet it would be absolutely amazing staying year-around now that he and Nico were dating. Sure, Will realized his mother would be disappointed if he didn’t come home but ….

            Will’s train of thought came screeching to a halt as he neared the top of Half-Blood Hill. He saw Lou Ellen standing there talking to his mom. It didn’t make sense; his mother shouldn’t be there. Will always flew into Nashville and his mom picked him up.

            “Mom!” Will exclaimed catching the attention of both his friend and his mom’s attention. “What are you doing here?”

            “This summer felt so long with you at camp for an extra month. So I thought I would surprise you.” His mother declared happily “Now we can catch up on the ride back home”

            “Car ride?” Will asked with dread. The son of Apollo was suddenly very aware that he hadn’t showered this morning. He and Nico had done plenty of sweating the night before, he could only imagine what he smelled like

            “Of course” His mother stated plainly “Plane tickets are expensive”

            Will couldn’t think of anything to say to that. He loved his mother. But at that moment he really couldn’t think of anything worse than being stuck in a car with her for fourteen hours straight.

            “Well” Lou interrupted the growing uncomfortable silence “It was really nice to meet you!” She declared to Will’s mother before turning to Will “See you next summer Will”

            Lou skipped over to Will and pulled him into a hug. Will really didn’t want to hug her back at the moment. Considering she had failed to tell him his mother was here Will was a little anger with her. Lou Ellen was having none of it. The daughter of Hecate kept hugging him more tightly until finally Will gave in and hugged her back. Will hissed in her ear “You could have warned me.”

            “But it’s more fun this way.” Lou Ellen snickered before stating “By the way, you smell like sex.”

            “I’m aware” Will groaned quietly as they both pulled back from one another.

And that’s how Will ended up experiencing the most uncomfortable car ride of his life. At first, Will thought it might actually not be so bad. Sure, Will hadn’t showered so he smelled like sex but he didn’t have any visible hickeys or marks on his wrists from the handcuffs the night before. 

At first, they talked a lot about things that didn’t really matter. Like the weather and how much Will’s mom hated teaching summer school. As the miles passed Will started to relax and let his guard down a bit. He didn’t realize it was bad idea until it was too late.

            It was just starting to get dark and they were driving though an especially featureless stretch of highway when his mother spoke first broached the topic. “So your friend…..”

            “Lou Ellen” Will supplied.

            “Yes” Naomi nodded thoughtfully “She mentioned you were with a boy”

            “Um…” Was all Will was able to manage. He could feel the start of a cold sweat begin to trickle down his spine.

            “Will,” She glanced over at him sitting in the passenger seat. “could this be a boyfriend?”

            “Oh gods!” Will groaned, looking back at his mother in outrage. He was not going to talk about boys with his mother. “Mom I don’t want to talk to you about this!”

            “Just because I’m your mother doesn’t mean you can’t tell me about boys.” She declared with a small laugh. “So does he have a name?”

            Will slumped in his seat as he realized his mother wasn’t going let it go. “Nico” he mumbled as he decided to stare out the window at the passing scenery.

            “That’s an unusual name” she commented thoughtfully “Pretty though”

            “It’s Italian” Will informed begrudgingly. “He’s Italian”

            “Oh” Will’s mother declared sounding interested. She seemed to give the topic more thought before asking “And he’s a demigod too I take it.”

            “Obviously” Will commented before thoughtlessly adding “His father is a god”

            “Which one?” Naomi asked curiously.

            “Um” Will hadn’t really thought his mother would ask. She showed very little interest in Greek mythology “Hades” the son of Apollo mumbled.

            “Which one is that again?” His mother asked. “You know I’m horrible with Greek Mythology.” Will knew that was true. He had always found a bit ridiculous considering she had had an affair with a Greek god.

            “He’s god of lots of things,” Will stated “Underworld mostly.”

            Naomi blinked a few times as she processed that bit of information before commenting. “That’s nice” They feel into a somewhat uncomfortable silence, which was fine by Will. He preferred the silence to his mother asking him questions about his boyfriend.

            Will found himself disappointed when his mother broke the silent. “So how long have you two been dating?” She asked cheerfully. Apparently her son dating a child of the underworld couldn’t cast her a shadow on her outlook on things.

            Will glanced over at his mother nervously. He had told a few lies to get back to camp before summer session had started and a few more to stay. Will didn’t want to add more lies on top of the others so he answered honestly “April”

            Will noticed the knowing look his mother gave him. “Uh-hu” She hummed and Will was relieved she let it pass “Is it serious?”

            “Yeah, I guess” Will squirmed a little in his seat.

            His mother shot him another serious look before asking. “Are you two having sex?”

            “Oh GODS!” Will exclaimed jumping in his seat “Mom I’m not talking to you about this!” The son of Apollo glanced out the car window. For one desperate moment considered combat rolling onto the highway to escape.

            “Will” Naomi laughed “It’s not like I’ve never had sex.”

            “Mom,” Will hissed in protest “Gross.” It was bad enough he would forever have the sound of his father describing how to use a butt plug engrained in his memory. He didn’t need the thought of his mom have sex there too.

            “Fine, fine” she continued to chuckle. “You don’t have to tell me” she assured “Just promise me if you are having sex, you’re being safe.”

            Uncomfortable, Will squirmed again. “Of course” he lied, or at least he felt like he was lying. He and Nico hadn’t been using condoms but they had both been virgins before each other so it wasn’t like STDs were a real concern.

            Will’s mother eyed him critically for a long time before sighing heavily. “At least I don’t have to worry about you getting someone pregnant.” she declared sounding resigned.

            “Mom!” Will exclaimed in protest.

            “Well, I don’t!” she defended but then seemed to give it some more thought “Do I?”

            “Gods mom” Will groaned at the ridiculousness of the question. Then again, Kayla was the product of Apollo’s affair with her other dad so maybe it wasn’t as ridiculous as it sounded. Will wasn’t going to even to get into that particular complication. “No!” he informed.

            “Good.” Naomi relaxed a bit at the wheel before she informed. “Cause I am not prepared to be the overly understanding Southern mother on one of those reality shows about pregnant teens.”

            Will slumped in his seat and cursed himself for not staying at camp.


	2. The trouble with Long-Distance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello all my lovelies,
> 
> For those of you who have read the last chapter of Normal lives, you know I was in a bit of a funk. Well, good news I am in a much better place, largely thanks to you guys and all the love I got so thank you! All of you are amazing!
> 
> This is another chapter that takes before the official start of Normal Lives, but I didn't get to do a whole lot of the boys pinning for each other so I just have to. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

Will didn’t think it would be this hard, he really hadn't. Which was surprising considering how hard he had thought it was going to be. It was barely over a week since he had left camp, but more importantly it was barely over week since he had left Nico. It wasn’t like Will wasn’t prepared to miss his boyfriend. He knew he would, but he just hadn’t had the slightest idea what missing Nico would feel like. How deep he would feel the son of Hades absence.

Missing Nico was different then Will could have every prepared for. He had figured he would miss Nico as one whole thing but it wasn’t like that. He missed Nico in a million different ways each and every day. He missed the way Nico’s hair smelled when he hugged him. He missed the way the son of Hades would tuck his head down when they hugged so Will’s nose ended up hovering inches about his chocolatey locks. Will missed the way Nico’s long fingers felt interlaced with his own as they walked leisurely around camp. He missed the feeling of Nico’s small frame pressed against him at the camp sing-a-long because Nico always got cold and refused to admit it.

Will had new found respect for people like Annabeth and Leo. Annabeth had gone for months when Hera had dropped Percy off at camp Jupiter. She hadn't known where he was or when she would see him again. Leo had left Calypso behind with only hope and faith in his own skills that he would see her again.

Will had always figured he could do that sort of thing if he had to. After all, he loved Nico as much as Annabeth loved Percy or Leo loved Calypso. Now he realized that sort of thing wasn’t just about love, it was about strength. Will didn’t think of himself as weak but he didn’t know if he was that strong either. If Nico went missing Will knew he would be a mess. 

Luckily Will didn’t have to worry about that, he and Nico talked every day on the phone. Will knew he would see Nico again soon, January, for Nico’s birthday. Will knew that but it didn’t stop him from missing Nico terribly.

The borderline sleep deprivation wasn’t helping matters. The first two or three nights Will had barely gotten more than three hours sleep. It had improved some with time. Still, he woke up at least once in the night with a deep feeling of panic as he clung to the bed looking for ….. something. Will tried not to admit it to himself but he knew what he reached for in the night, it was Nico. Will just wasn’t used to sleeping in a bed by himself anymore.

Soccer was a help. All the physical exertion was enough to force his body to shut down for the night. For the first time in Will’s life he was genuinely looking forward to the start of school. If for nothing else, it would offer a good distraction.

Those of course were Will’s "romantic" problems. Those were downright adorable, although they didn’t feel that way to Will. The son of Apollo also had some less romantic but very real teenage boy problems. Namely, he was insanely horny. Like several cold showers a day level horny. Will wasn’t proud of it but going from having sex two-to-three times a day to nothing was a big change.

At camp there really wasn’t a whole lot of adult supervision. That made the biggest barrier to intimacy the lack of privacy provided by other campers. Will could attest to that with too many experiences to count. It was a challenge to sneak off to your cabin for a quickie when there was a chance any one of your twenty siblings could walk in.

Nico, on the other hand had no siblings at camp so there had never really been a barrier like that for them. When Will and Nico were in the mood they had sex. It really didn’t matter what time of day because they could always sneak back to cabin thirteen. So, Nico decided to deep throat a banana at breakfast when their friends weren’t paying attention. Will could drag the naughty son of Hades off with little concern. That was no longer an option and that was definitely a shock to Will’s system.

Will tried to push all of that from his thoughts as he climbed into his bed with Apollo’s magic iphone in his hand. There were three long rings before Nico answered sounding sleepy “il mio amore.”

Will knew that one,  _my love_. He let out a long sigh at the sound of those words, they way Nico sounded saying it, and the Italian. “Gods I miss you, so much” He declared sounding more desperate then he intended.

“I can fix that  _real_  easy” Nico declared playfully.

“Don’t tempt me” Will laughed. He tried to kept the tone light because he knew how this conversation could go if he didn’t. The scary thing was how tempting the thought of Nico shadow-traveling to visit him had become. 

The son of Apollo had actually started fantasizing about it. The excitement of walking into his room to be surprised by his boyfriend’s presence as Nico stepped out of the shadows. Will was doing his best not to indulge in those fantasies. He knew it was a slippery slope, and once he gave in a little the battle would be lost. 

Trying to take his mind off of it as much as he was trying to get Nico off the subject he declared. “You sound tired”

“I am a bit,” Nico admitted nonchalantly “I haven’t been sleeping well.”

“Nightmares?” the son of Apollo asked, unsure if he actually wanted the answer.

Will had become aware of Nico’s nightmares, first hand, after spending so many nights in cabin 13. At first they really didn’t seem that bad, or at least that was what Will had talked himself into believing. 

At first Will only noticed them early in the morning when he was already awake but Nico was asleep. Nico would begin to stir, his eyes would begin to move rapidly behind his lids. Will would feel the son of Hades' small frame grow tense next to him. Will’s immediate reaction always seemed to work in those situations. He would wrap his arm around his boyfriend and pulled him tightly against himself. Nico would always relax into his embrace.

            It wasn’t until August that Will was hit with the truth of the situation. Nico began waking up in the night, jolting up in bed covered in sweat. He would gasp for air with a wild look in his eyes like he didn’t know where he was. It had happened only a handful of times for the remainder of the summer. Nico had always recovered quickly, curling up into Will’s chest and falling fast asleep. For Will, it was always unnerving. So unnerving that Will was never able to fall asleep after it happened. He would spend the rest of the night awake, holding Nico tightly.

As much as he knew the son of Hades wouldn’t want to talk about it after the third time it happened Will had to ask. Nico had said the nightmares were nothing and told Will not to worry about. The son of Apollo wanted to believe his boyfriend he really had. Then he had caught a few bits of conversations between Nico and Percy. He learned the nightmares were worse for Nico when Will wasn’t around.

            “A few,” Nico acknowledged in the same casual tone as before. “Nothing I can’t handle.”

            “Oh” Will replied feeling deflated.

            “Honestly” Nico yawned loudly on the other end. “I blame my current state of exhaustion on Jason and Percy.” he stated reassuringly before adding “and to a lesser extent, Austin.”

            “What did Jason and Percy do?” Will asked curiously.

            “It was their last day at camp.” Nico explained “So they wanted to do everything camp has to offer.” he stated. Will was positive Nico was quoting one of his friends, probably Percy. “They’re exhausting, and they can argue about anything”

            “I’ve noticed” Will acknowledged just barely holding in a laugh. He had witnessed some extremely petty arguments break out between the son of Poseidon and the son of Jupiter. For example: who could fit the most gummy bears in their mouth at any one time (The dark horse named Leo won that one). Will knew that both boys tended to run to Nico to act as a referee or judge in their little contests, much to Nico's annoyance. Will could almost imagine Nico standing there annoyed as Percy and Jason competed to see who could climb the lava wall with the least number of burns in their clothes. Will decided it would be better to move past that “What did Austin do?”

            “He didn’t do anything.” Nico grumbled “It’s what he  _didn’t_  do that was the problem”

            “Really?” Will asked surprised. Honestly he was having a hard time believing his ears “’Cause there isn’t much Austin won’t do”

            “Infirmary paperwork” Nico stated flatly.

            “Oh yeah” Will chuckled. “he won’t do that” He admitted “Says he’s too pretty for clerical work.”

            “Well he’s not saying that anymore” Nico practically growled.

            Will was a little concerned by the way Nico said that. He tried to keep the concern out of his voice as he spoke. “How did you manage that?” he asked.

            “I have an imposing presence,” Nico declared before adding darkly. “and a sword.” The son of Hades let that information settle in before stating. “All and all, that makes me really convincing.” before he reassured “Don’t worry I didn’t have to go past intimidation.”

            “Never needed any of that with me.” Will teased now that he was sure his brother still had all his limbs attached to his body.

“Hmpf” Nico sighed dismissively. “I had other ways of getting you to do things.” he declared “Not that you ever took much convincing.”

Will hummed contently at the thought “You are always very persuasive”

Nico chuckled at that, the sound soft and musical before it fell away into silence. The was nothing for a long time before Nico sighed. “I miss you too.” He stated a response to Will’s original declaration.

Absently, Will rubbed the space next to him on the bed as he let his eyes cast over the to the emptiness next to him. “My bed seems really empty without you in it” He declared remorsefully.

“I’ve never been in your bed.” Nico reminded, a sharp edge to his voice before it softened.  “But I would like to,” Will sighed contently at the thought of Nico next to him warming the sheets. Nico continued, his voice taking on an almost hopeful quality “And I could be right now if you’d just let me sh…”

“No” Will cut him off firmly.

“Why are you being so stubborn about this?” Nico asked heatedly.

“You know why” Will replied with the same heat “shadow travel isn’t good for your health!”

“Neither is the ever-increasing levels of sexual frustration I’m experiencing!” Nico shouted irritatedly.

A small grin tugged at the corners of Will’s lips. Part of him could help but be strangely satisfied with the thought of Nico desperate for his touch. The son of Apollo recognized it was a weird power trip thing that he should  _no_ t be proud of but it was still there. He tried to push all the porn quality thoughts the idea of Nico, horny and alone that were threatening to flood his brain with. “I know” Will tried to sound sympathetic, which he was. Nico wasn’t the only one that was sexually frustrated. “This is hard on me too.”

            “But it doesn’t have to be hard on either of us.” Nico declared. Will wasn’t going to mention it but the son of Hades sounded whiny. “If you’d just stop being so unreasonable we would be talking face to face right now instead of over the stupid phone!”

            Will sighed heavily, Nico wasn’t wrong. Still, shadow-travel wasn’t an opinion and not just because of Nico’s health. If his mom caught him, or anyone doing as she put it ‘demigod magic’ in her house Will would be homeless. 

The son of Apollo wanted more than stupid phone calls too. It was that thought that drove the next one-  _Phone_. “You know” He started knowing he needed to pick his words carefully if he wanted Nico to even consider it. “Just because we aren’t physically in the same place doesn’t mean we can’t help each other relieve a little stress.”

            The was a long stretch of silence. It lasted so long Will had begun to wonder if they had gotten disconnected before Nico spoke. “What are you talking about?” the son of Hades asked apprehensively.

            “Well, we  _could_ ….” Will dragged out the word, trying to find a way to say it without actually  _saying_  it. “talk each other through it, ya know?”

            “Solace” Nico called him by his last name. In their relationship he had come to recognize that as one of two things: a sign of affection or a sign of annoyance. This time it was clearly out of annoyance “Will you speak plainly please?”

            “Phone sex.” Will declared blatantly. He let out a heavy sigh, like the actually words had been weighing him down and now they were said he was lighter for it. “I’m saying we could have phone sex”

            “Oh” Nico declared with understanding before adding “No way I’m doing that”

            “Come on” Now it was Will’s turn to whine. He hadn’t even though about the idea until now but now that it was there he realized how badly he wanted it “why not?”

            “I’m not having phone sex when we could be having actual sex!” Nico responded firmly.

            “Well, now who’s being unreasonable?” Will pouted.

            “Still you.” Nico hissed.

            Will sulked in silence for a minute. He couldn't help thinking about what it would be like to hear Nico’s rich voice whispering lustful things in his ear. “I bet you would sound so sexy telling me all the things you want to do to me.” He stated coaxingly.

            “Will!” Nico warned

            “Or all the things you want me to do to you.” Will offered, finding that idea particularly appealing.

            “No means no” Nico stated decisively. There was a pause and Will could swear he could hear Nico actually thinking it over. When he spoke again his voice was much less sure then it had been only seconds earlier. “And it’s not like you’d understand what I was saying anyway.”

            Will perked up a little hearing the lack of confidence in Nico’s voice. “You know what hearing you speaking in Italian does to me.” Will stated. His voice coming out more husky then he intended. He still hoped the truth would give Nico the confidence to at least consider the idea of phone sex. “You could read the phone book, I’d still get turned on.”

            “You’re ridiculous.” Nico laughed dismissively. Will recognized the fight was over for the night at least.

            “Will you at least think about?” Will requested hopefully.

            “Will” Nico pleaded a begrudgingly.

            “Please” Will whined “because you love me.”

            “Fine, I’ll think about it,” Nico sighed reluctantly before adding. “but I promise nothing.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay,
> 
> So Will's little rant about how he would be able to handle if Nico disappeared like Percy had- I'm not trying to suggest Will's weak or anything. I honestly think he would handle it a lot like Annabeth had but I don't think anyone really thinks they could handle that sort of thing until it happens.


	3. Reyna and Nico Chat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello my fine feathered friends.
> 
> So I almost didn't post this chapter- I've gone back and forth on it for weeks and here is why: I wrote this chapter before Hammer of Thor was released. I HAVE NOT read hammer of Thor yet (no spoilers please) but I do have access to the internet and I have eyes so I know about Alex (Already hardcore love Alex and ship Magnus and Alex- I regret nothing).
> 
> I thought about going back in a reworking the chapter but it would have needed to be pulled down to the studs and completely redone and I didn't want to do that. I really freaking like this chapter the way it is. I probably would pursue the Magnus - Reyna idea further (it's not like Reyna has had a crush not pan out before the girl will be fine).
> 
> So please try to enjoy this chapter for the Nico and Reyna cuteness.

“Thanks for the assist Reyna.” Magnus offered as he walked with the Roman toward the Legion’s black SUV. She had parked in a more residential area of the city. At this time of night, it seemed pretty quiet so they had the street mostly to themselves.

“You’re lucky I was on my way back from visiting a friend in New York and Boston wasn’t too far out of the way or I wouldn’t have been able to help at all.” Reyna replied trying to sound annoyed although she wasn’t.

“I though you said you were on your way to New York not coming from New York?” Magnus pointed out and the daughter of Bellona had to suppress a wince as the Norse demigod caught her in a lie. The truth was she hadn’t been coming or going to New York. The Norse demigod had called asking for a favor and Reyna had come. She had no intentions of actually letting him know that she had drop everything and drove to Boston just because he asked so she had lied.

“That is not my point.” Reyna stated directing the conversation away from the inaccuracies in her story. “I am praetor of the Twelfth Legion. My responsibility is to New Rome and the Roman Gods.” She reminded him firmly. “I can’t simply run off every time a Norse god miss places something of value and their substandard demigod offspring fail to find it…..” Looking in the blonde’s direction she found him smiling at her “why are you grinning at me?”

“You already gave me this speech when you got here.” Magnus explained his grin growing wider.

“Well, it’s still true.” Reyna proclaimed as they reached her SUV. Reyna used the key fob to unlock it. The car issued a beep that sounded louder than necessary against the quiet of the deserted street.

“You can drop everything to visit a friend in New York.” Magnus observed with a shrug as Reyna paused with her hand resting on the driver side door. “The Romans can’t be keeping you that busy.”

Reyna doesn’t point out that she hadn’t actually gone to New York. Instead, she committed to the story. She thought of the only friend she would visit who was currently in New York, Nico, and replied. “He’s a very special friend.”

“Oh,” The boy exclaimed “I didn’t realize you were with someone.”

Reyna eyed the Norse demigod with confusion “What?”

“He’s a really lucky guy.” Magnus offered with a small smile.

It took a moment, the pass of a heart beat maybe two before she figured out what he was saying. Realizing that Magnus thought she had been visiting a boyfriend in New York a fit of laughter burst out of her.

This time it was Annabeth’s cousin’s turn to look confused. “Did I miss the joke?” He asked.

“Oh gods you thought” Reyna spoke through breaks in her own laughter. The idea was so ridiculous when she considered who she had been talking about visiting. “I was visiting my boyfriend.”

“That’s what ‘special friend’ usually implies.” Magnus informed still looking a little bewildered.

Reyna realized he was technically correct about that. It was an honest mistake on his part but she still couldn’t stop laughing. “Oh gods” She exclaimed as she brought her hands to her sides as they began to ache. “No….. that’s just…..no”

“Alright my bad.” Magnus acknowledged with a shrug “Still don’t see how it’s that funny but…..”

“It’s just my friend” Reyna began to explain as her laughter subsided. “he’s in a pretty serious committed relationship.” She wiped a tear away from eye. “and he’s gay”

“Oh” The blonde exclaimed with understanding.

“Nico’s more like my brother” Reyna added.

Magnus titled his head to one side like he was trying to remember something. For a moment he reminded Reyna very much of his cousin. “That name sounds familiar” He explained “He’s a friend of Annabeth’s, right?”

“Yes, he’s Greek” Reyna replied.

“Is he the one who faked his own death?” Magnus asked.

“No, that was Valdez.” The Roman corrected. “Nico is the son of Hades. He nearly died shadow-traveling the Athena Parthenos from Greece to Camp Half-Blood.”

“And the Athena Parthenos is the giant statue of Annabeth’s mom?” Magnus inquired.

“Yes” Reyna nodded.

Magnus shook his head absently “I don’t know how you guys keep all that stuff straight”

“It helps when you’ve lived through it” Reyna explained.

“I guess” Magnus shrugged before adding. “Next time you should bring him along.” He offered referring to Nico she assumed. “If nothing else I’m sure that teleporting power would come in handy.” The Norse demigod suggested “and it always looked cool on Star Trek.”

“If you ever met Nico I would suggest not saying any of that” Reyna recommended plainly.

“What? He’s not a Star Trek fan?” Magnus asked with a grin.

“He is a child of Pl….Hades” Reyna reminded “God of the underworld, what do you think?”

“Right, he’s probably more of a The Walking Dead or Supernatural fan then.” Magnus commented.

“Something like that.” Reyna agreed. Although, Nico was more likely a fan Dante’s Inferno and H.P. Lovecraft then anything Magnus had mentioned. “Besides he’s a no go for shadow-travel.”

“Oh did he lose the ability?” Magnus asked sympathetically “You know from the strain of carry that huge ass statue.”

“No, his boyfriend doesn’t like it” Reyna explained “Says it’s bad for Nico’s health.”

“But….” Magnus started looking confused but stopped. He shook his head dismissively. “You know after Sam’s arranged marriage, and the whole Blitz and Hearthstone thing I have learned not to ask.”

Reyna grinned “I’ve got a harpy and a Cyclops getting couple-y back in New Rome that would prove that’s a wise decision.”

The both shared a small laugh before Magnus took a half a step closer so now he was standing in Reyna personal space, just barely. When he spoke again his voice was just above a whisper. “Thanks again for coming Reyna”

For a moment they stayed like that before Reyna realized this was a bad idea. She turned and quickly pulled open the driver side door forcing Magnus back. She climbed behind the steering wheel and jammed the keys into the ignition. She quickly rolled down the window and leaned out. “Your welcome, but next time try to solve your own problems Chase.” She declared firmly before turning the key. The car’s engine turned over effortlessly. The radio kicked on blasting the same song she had been listening to when she had parked two days earlier; Smells like Teen Spirit by Nirvana. The Roman cursed under her breath in Spanish and quickly turned down the radio until it could no longer be heard. “Bye Magnus”

The Norse demigod grinned at her like the cat who ate the canary “See ya Reyna.” He waved as he stepped away from the car.

Reyna drove away running through every curse word she could think of in both Spanish and Latin. With Boston and Magnus fading into the distance she realized she had a long drove ahead of her. Her first thought was to listen to music on the radio but then she remembered the hands free calling system. It had recently been installed in some of Camp Jupiter’s vehicles. She had thought the whole thing was strange at the time because of the whole demigods attacking monsters when they use phones thing. However, the children of Vulcan that had done the install had assured her it was safe.

She figured she probably would never come across a better chance to test it out. Using the voice commands the Vulcan kids had shown her she dialed Nico. It wasn’t until the phone began to ring that she remembered that it was pretty late at night in New York. She tried to hang up but she couldn’t actually remember how. Nico answered before she could figure it out.

 “Hello?” The son of Hades greeted questioningly.

“Nico?” Reyna replied surprised he had answered “Hi, it’s Reyna” She explained. “Sorry I forgot about the time different ‘til just now”

“It’s okay I just got off the phone with Will” Nico stated.

“Oh right” Reyna responded swallowing the majority of her unease.

Above all else Reyna was happy that Nico was happy. But she had her reservations about this Will character he was dating. While her and Nico talked plenty, or at least what can count as plenty between both their busy lives, she still hadn’t met Will yet.

Nico mentioned him often, and always sounded especially content when he did. Still, Reyna had known enough descendants of Apollo at Camp Jupiter to be concerned. Not all of them were manipulative and power hungry like Octavian had been and some were assets to the Legion. However, most tended to be show-offs and they could be a bit self-absorbed.

Of course Reyna had no reason to believe that Will was anything like that. Hazel, Annabeth and even Percy all raved about the healer and what a wonderful couple he and Nico were. Frank even seemed to like him. Although, the healer showed little interest in archery and according to the son of Mars had a tendency to over-share. Reyna was reserving her judgement until she met him for herself.

“What are you up to?” Nico asked pulling the Roman back from her own thoughts.

“Driving back to camp.” She replied.

“From where?” Nico asked curiously.

“Boston” Reyna explained “I was helping Magnus with a small problem”

“Annabeth’s cousin?” The son of Hades inquired. “Did she ask for your help again?”

“No he did” Reyna stated.

“Wait” Nico requested his voice taking on a critical quality. “So this guy called you up asking for a favor and you drove all the way to Boston?”

“Yes” Reyna answered reluctantly. When put that way, it didn’t sound great.

“Reyna, do you like Magnus?” The younger demigod asked in a teasing tone she still wasn’t used to hearing from him.

“He’s alright” She replied in a neutral tone.

“That’s not what I met.” Nico responded.

Reyna sighed as she stared out the window at the long dark stretch of road in front of her. “He’s Norse.”

“I’m Greek, your Roman” The son of Hades pointed out plainly.

“His father is Frey. That’s the Norse…..” Reyna began.

“God of sunshine and fair weather,” Nico interrupted finishing Reyna’s sentence for her “I know”

The Roman was surprised. She knew better than to doubt Nico’s intelligence. Still, he had never expressed an interest in mythology outside of that from Greece and Rome. “How do you know that?”

“Doesn’t matter” Nico grumbled quickly, he clearly didn’t want to talk about it.

Reyna smiled. She remembered how Thalia had described Nico. The way he was when the daughter of Zeus had first met him, an excitable, slightly nerdy pre-teen. “You learned playing Mythomagic, didn’t you?” She asked.

There was a heavy sigh on the other end of the line. “Yes,” Nico admitted. “recently they’ve had a few expansion packs including gods from other parthenons. Mainly, Norse and Egyptian.”

Reyna’s grinned widened and she couldn’t keep the sound of it from her voice “Recently?” she asked.

“Weren’t we talking about your crush?” Nico asked with a nervous edge to his voice. Reyna chuckled softly and let the younger demigod dodge the question. The daughter of Bellona honestly liked the idea of her friend getting back into old interests. “And why does it matter who his godly parent is?”

“I’m a daughter of Bellona, a war goddess” Reyna reminded “It would be an odd pairing.”

Nico laughed “You remember who your talking to, right?” he asked teasingly. “Child of the underworld who is dating the camp healer who just happens to be the child of the god of the sun.”

“I guess you have a point” Reyna agreed with a sigh “It would still be complicated.”

“We’re demigods,” Nico reminded “what in our lives isn’t?”

Reyna sighed again before stating “He’s dead.”

There was a long stretch of silent before Nico spoke in a flat tone. “What?”

“He’s dead” Reyna reiterated before explaining “He died a year ago.”

“Reyna,” Nico said her name with a level of seriousness she hadn’t expected. It was more in line with the dark demigod she had met two years ago. “You can’t date a ghost.”

“Wow” She exclaimed with fake surprise. “what happened to odd pairs can work and demigod lives are always complicated so doesn’t let it get in the way.”

“That advice applies to the living, not ghosts” Nico replied simply.

“He’s not a ghost” The Roman began to explain in her own defense “He was chosen to fight in Ragnarok.”

“So he was resurrected.” Nico offered “Like Hazel.”

“Not exactly” Reyna admitted, things would be a lot simpler if that was the case. “He can die outside of Valhalla but he no longer ages”

Nico groaned on the other end of the line. “This is giving me a head ache and I’m not the one interested in the guy.”

Reyna could relate to that feeling. Honestly, she was starting to think Venus was messing with her for kicks. “I told you it was complicated.”

They were both silent for a long time. That was one of the things Reyna appreciated about Nico. He never felt the need to file empty space with unnecessary words. He, like her seemed comfortable with silence. When he did speak it was to ask something the Roman hadn’t expected. “Is he cute?”

“Very” She admitted resigned to the fact. Her life would certainly be less complicated if he wasn’t. She gave the question some more though in order to adequately explain it. “Honestly, he looks a lot like Annabeth”

“Hi I’m Nico” The son of Hades chuckled on the other end of the line. “I’m your gay friend, remember?” Nico asked teasingly before giving a long pause. “Wait” He exclaimed, his voice now serious and somewhat uncomfortable. “Is this your way of telling me your bi?”

“No” Reyna laughed at the thought “Girls seem like a lot more trouble than boys.”

“Agreed” Nico declared. “Although Will had his moments.”

Interesting, Reyna thought, that was the closest thing to a bad word about Will Nico had ever said. “Like what?” She asked keeping her voice neutral.

Nico huffed on the other end of the line, and Reyna recognized it as a sign of frustration. “Like the whole shadow-travel ban or the phone s….” Nico stopped abruptly. He was quiet for so long Reyna was about to ask what was wrong but then he spoke clearly flustered. “You know what we were talking about you, and Magnus’ level of cuteness. Let’s get back to that!”

The daughter of Bellona wondered at what made her friend suddenly skiddish but knew better than to ask. “Fine,” she let the topic go, at least for now. “He kind of looks like Kurt Cobain.”

“The singer from Nirvana?” Nico asked confused.

“Wow, I didn’t think you would get that reference.” Reyna admitted surprised “Has Will been catching you up on music?” She asked figuring that was likely considering he was the son of the god of music.

“Some but grunge isn’t really his thing” Nico replied “But Austin likes it.”

That was not a name Reyna was familiar with. “Who’s Austin?” she asked.

“One of Will’s siblings. I’ve been helping him in the infirmary.” Nico explained like that was a completely rational sentence. Her mind ran around it in circles, son of Hades helping sick people. No matter which way she looked at it she couldn’t make sense of it. Nico continued and Reyna was pulled from her confusion. “He puts music on a lot and Nirvana is one of the only bands all three of us can agree on.”

 “All three?” Reyna asked with increased confusion. Nico could be called a lot of things, but social was not one of them. That’s why she was surprised to hear him mentioning all these new people.

“Yeah. Me, Austin, and Cecil” Nico replied plainly.

“Who’s Cecil?” Reyna asked.

“Child of Hermes” Nico replied “He’s a friend of Will’s”

Interesting, Reyna thought for a second time. If this Will was getting Nico to make new friends that was a good thing. “When do I get to meet this Will?” She asked. As interested as she had been they had never directly discussed the topic. Reyna hadn’t wanted to come across too overprotective. She knew Jason had that more then covered.

“No idea” Nico replied. “He’s in Tennessee right now” He explained before asking “When are you going to visit camp?”

Reyna had no idea the next opportunity she would have to visit Camp Half-Blood would be. There had been talks about a big celebration at the start of Camp Half-Blood’s summer session. It was to be in honor of the first summer that the camp would be accepting Romans as a part of an exchange program. The details, however, were blurry at best. Instead Reyna offered a more reliable alternative. “You both could always come to New Rome to visit”

“I guess” Nico yawned “Will’s never been to New Rome.”

“See, it could be nice” Reyna pointed out hopefully.

“He won’t let me shadow travel so we’ll have to drive” Nico complained.

“Like everyone else” Reyna pointed out with a grin.

Nico sighed “I’ll talk to Will, maybe we could come up during his spring break.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: Comments and Kudos make my life.


	4. The things we do when we are desperate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> Smut warning (sort of, I guess) There is some masturbation going on here so if that isn't something you like to read feel free to skip this chapter.
> 
> Also Apollo's goodie bag is making another appearance- So yes, there is that.

            Nico repositioned so his phone wasn’t awkwardly propped between his shoulder and ear. His boyfriend continued to speak on the other end of the line. “Soooo” Will dragged out the word as an awkward transition. Nico could tell he was trying to sound casual but he completely missed the mark. “Have you given it any more thought? You know, phon…..”

            “Phone sex” Nico suppled. “Yes Will, I know what you mean.” The son of Hades rolled his eyes. He had been hoping Will would bring it up tonight. Will broached the subject every couple of calls and he hadn’t brought it up in a week. Nico had realized the chances of Will not bringing it up tonight were slim but he had still hoped.

            “So?” Will asked with cautious optimism.

            Nico sighed heavily. The truth was he had given it some thought, he had actually given it a lot of thought but he was still unsure. Part of him wanted to do it for no other reason than it would make Will happy. Still, Nico didn’t think he should jump to do something just because Will wanted it either. Another part of him was embarrassed by the idea of talking about sexual things even with Will. And yet another part of him was actually a little curious. He wondered what it would actually be like, and if he could enjoy it. It wasn’t something Nico would have ever thought he could like but that didn’t mean much. There were more than a few things when it came to sex that the son of Hades never thought he would enjoy that he actually did.

            Nico had given it lots of thought and had made no decisions. “Have you given anymore thought to letting me shadow travel to see you?” Nico asked trying to deflect the conversation off himself. Unlike Will, Nico was not being patient and he had no intentions of letting that topic go.

            “Nic” Will issued a soft warning from his end of the call. Will sounded strained and a little sad. Not for the first time Nico wondered if there was more to Will’s shadow travel then a concern for Nico’s health.

            “I’m taking that as a no.” Nico stated firmly, being purposefully stubborn. “So I guess you have your answer.”

            “Alright.” Will replied sounding disappointed but understanding “It’s okay I asked, right?”

            Nico rolled his eyes again even though Will couldn't see. He wished Will would be a little less understanding and a little more insistent about the whole thing. Then Nico wouldn’t have to feel guilty about saying no. “Yes, Will. It’s fine.”

            “Good” Will exclaimed happily. Nico knew at this point Will would let the topic of phone sex drop, at least for the night. Nico felt a ball of tension release in his chest. On the other end of the call Will sighed. “I really miss you”

            “I miss you too” Nico agreed. He looked wistfully at the empty space beside him in bed, wishing Will was there.

            Nico more than missed Will. He physically ached, he longed for him, it was frustrating. The son of Hades sank further down into his thick blankets and tried to get comfortable in his lonely bed. He focused on the warm sound of Will; his breath, his voice and found himself relaxing.

            “How’s camp?” Will asked.

            “Fine” Nico replied because it was except for its unacceptable absence of Will. “I’ve been helping in the infirmary a little. Austin taught me how to do stitches.” Nico felt a small grin tug at the corners of his mouth. He was proud of that and it had actually been kind of fun.

            “You’ve been hanging out in the infirmary with Austin?” Will asked, sounding skeptical “He hasn’t been driving you crazy?”

            Nico shrugged even though he knew Will couldn’t see the gesture “He’s really no worse than Percy.” That was more or less true. Austin was probably more inappropriate then Percy because of the whole child of Apollo lack of filter thing. But with Austin there was none of the weird ‘I used to have a crush on you and now you’re asking me what rimming feels like’ stuff compounding the awkwardness exponentially. “Oh, he says hi by the way.” Nico added when he remembered.

            “Percy?” Will asked confused.

            “Austin” Nico corrected.

            “Oh, that’s nice I guess.” Will replied still sounding confused.

            “Cecil too.” Nico added.

            “Wait,” Will exclaimed sounding even increasingly confused “you’ve been hanging out with Cecil too?”

            “Some” That was probably an underestimate. Will already sounded both surprised and confused Nico didn’t want to add to it. He figured trying to explain to Will that he had co-oped his brother and best-friend as replacements for Jason and Percy would just confuse him more. Honesty it still confused Nico, he hadn’t meant for it to happen, it just did. “What have you been up too?” Nico asked changing the subject “How’s training camp?”

            “Miserable.” Will replied. “There is a late summer heat wave here and we’ve been running laps every day.” He explained sounding tired. “Honestly, I’m shocked I haven’t died of heat stroke.”

            The first thing that came to mind was the image of Will, sweaty and running in the shorts soccer players wear. Will’s muscular legs glistening in the Tennessee sun. Nico realized rather abruptly that was a dangerous train of thought to follow. He tried to push the image from his mind.

            “I don’t know” Will admitted “All I know is I feel like I need to move into the shower to wash off all the sweat.” 

            That was another mental image Nico didn’t have a hard time conjuring. He and Will had showered together a lot over the summer. Nico knew, first hand, the son of Apollo looked amazing naked under the spray of a shower head. Will’s tan skin glistened like amber even in the low light of the Hades cabin bathroom. The water would follow tantalizing trails down the curves of his many well-formed muscles. Nico could feel the heat of that image pulling in his groin and did his best to push that out of his mind as well. 

            “and my legs and killing” Will continued oblivious of Nico's current state. 

            Yum, Nico thought, Will’s legs were a true wonder. Thick and well-muscled. The son of Hades thought Will’s legs might have been the most perfect things he had ever seen. Nico felt his own manhood twitch between his legs as more heat pooled deep within him. He carefully pushed the image of Will’s godly legs out of his mind as well. 

            “Honestly, I got less of a work out fighting monsters in the war.” Will explained. Nico said a silent pray of thanks that they had already had the phone sex conversation for the night. At this point Nico didn't trust himself to say no.

            “Which war?” Nico asked trying to sound curious but only managing mildly neutral. In no way did he sound desperate or needy so Nico decided to count it as a win.  Nico just wanted to push the conversation to anything that couldn't bring his mind around to sex.

            “Both” Will replied sincerely “You know what I really need?”

            Multiple orgasms, Nico thought in spite of himself. He squirmed uncomfortably in his bunk. “What?” he asked as casually as he could manage.

            “Food” Will exclaimed “and sleep”

            “Those are necessities” Nico agreed trying to hide his personal disappointment. Part of him had hoped Will would have wanted him. On a realistic level Nico knew Will wanted him, but he wanted Will to want him in a more immediate way.

            “Can I call you tomorrow?” Will asked sounding guilty even though he really had no reason to be. They had already talked earlier in the day, and it was pretty late.

            “Yeah, sure” Nico replied. As much as he was disappointed to have to let Will go, he was also relieved. He really didn't trust himself at this point.

            “Love you” Will sighed contently.

            “Love you too” Nico returned the sentiment.

            After a pause where both boys were reluctant to move the call disconnected. Nico discarded the call phone on the nightstand rather thoughtlessly. The son of Hades sighed heavily. He internally cursed his boyfriend for talking about himself in the shower, or running. 

            Nico shot a frustrated glance down at his half hard erection. It stood visible through his black sweatpants. Frustratedly, Nico realized there was no way he was going to make it to January.

            Nico considered taking a cold shower to drive his mind from the thought of sex. One could only take so many of those in a day, he reminded himself. There was always masturbation, Nico thought, which would have technically solved the immediate problem.

            Nico groaned audibly as he pushed himself of his bunk. Things were easier before he and Will were a couple, before they had started having sex. Sure, Nico had still had urges before he had lost his virginity but it had been different. Back then he had known so little about sex in general and his own sexuality, things were simplier. Then it was just about want to get off, now Nico craved the feeling of pleasing someone else as much as being pleased.

            Or that was part of it Nico was letting himself focus on. The other part of it, Nico was working hard not to thinking about. The part about how badly he missed the feeling of Will’ hands working down his body. The feeling of Will's fingers slowly stretching him open. Will’s tongue teasing and probing his most private places. Will’s hands gripping his hip or his thigh as he thrusted. Will hard, and moving inside of him. Nico was  _not_  thinking about any of that.

            Nico started toward the bathroom with the intentions of showering away his clean thoughts. He discarded articles of clothing as he went, and by the time he was halfway there he was in nothing but his boxers. That’s when a thought occurred to him. A very, very unclean thought.

            For a moment Nico stood frozen as he contemplated his options. A year ago Nico would have never considered such a thing. Then again, he pointed out to himself, a year ago he didn’t have a bag full of sex toys under his bed.

            Nico walked back toward his bed and dropped to his knees. The nondescript brown bag full of sex paraphilia Apollo had given Will was there. Wedged under Nico’s bunk against the wall in one of the far corners it was hidden. It was so far back he had to crawl under the bed to retrieve it.  

            Nico sat on the floor, his back pressed against the side of his bunk for support. He started rummaging through the bag’s X-rated contents. He pushed past the dirty magazines, and the awful looking Greek and Roman themed porn DVDs. He ignored the handcuffs and tickler. Carefully he tried not to remember Will’s last night at camp. To spite his efforts, a shiver ran down his spine at the sight of the toys they had used.

            Nico pushed aside the black silicone thing shaped like a rose bud. It was about an inch at its widest point, attached to a short rod with a disc at the other end. The flat side of the disc was bejeweled with yellow rhinestones that made a son. The son of Hades blushed involuntarily as he remembered asking Will what the thing was and what it was for. Will muttered uncomfortably through an explanation, the thing was appropriately named a butt plug. He had been sure which of them had seemed more embarrassed with the whole conversation.

            Right when Nico had started to lose his nerve he found what he had been looking for. The only real reason he remembered the thing existed at all was because it was bright yellow. He remembered how he had found it while retrieving the handcuffs and tickler that night and almost died laughing. It was a bright yellow, vaguely penis shaped, a dildo. At the time it had seemed pretty funny.

            Now Nico examined the thing more seriously. It was about six inches, maybe six and a half. It looked kind of small. Objectively, Nico knew that was actually about average. However, that just wasn’t his personal experience so it appeared small. The thing was smaller than he was and it was definitely smaller than Will. It also lacked Will’s girth, which made it appear kind of narrow.

            Nico gave one last suspicious look around his cabin. Why? Who knows, he knew he was alone. H tossed the phallic shaped thing on the bed. He pushed the Apollo goodie bag back under his bunk, make a mental note to more carefully hide it later. 

Next, he walked over to the nightstand. He retrieved the bottle of lube he still had tucked in the drawer and tossed that on bed as well. Nico took one last deep breath trying to strengthen his resolve. With one last look at the two items sitting on the bed to steely himself before pushing off his boxers.

            Once completely nude Nico climbed onto his bunk and laid down. He took a few minutes to get himself comfortable. Then he began to stroke his member to work it back to a proper erection. The attention coupled the mental images of Will in the shower made it easy work. Nico quickly found himself painfully stiff with excitement.

            He released himself in order to pick the lube off the bed. After taking a shuttered breath he drizzled an appropriate amount on two of his fingers. He discarded the bottle carelessly off the side of the bed. 

Nico took a minute to roll the fluid between his fingers, warming it before reaching behind himself. He took a sharp breath before letting his slick fingers slide between his crease. He found his puckered entrance surprisingly quickly.

            He started slow, poking and prodding the wrinkled flesh around his entrance. Nico was surprised at how his body tensed at the touch, it wasn’t like he had never done this before. Although as he gave it more careful consideration when he had, he had been doing it to Will or Will had been doing it to him. Nico had never actually fingered himself.

            He resituated on the bed to allow himself to stroke his length with his free hand. Though his movements were slow and arrhythmic due to the position the attention helped Nico relax. He pressed his first fingertip in just past the furrowed rim and was surprised at how  _strange_  it felt. It didn’t feel bad, just not what he expected.

            Nico closed his eyes and thought about Will. The way Will would touch him, kiss him, stroke him as he worked to open Nico up. The thoughts of Will helped more then Nico had expected. By the time he had worked a second finger most of the way in he was actually enjoying it. His breath was coming in ragged gasps and his erection was dripping pre-cum. 

            He thoughtlessly curled his fingers as he moved to remove his digits with the intentions of replacing them with the toy. The motion brought his fingers in contact with the bundles of nerves within him. A jolt of arousal was shot through his body unexpectedly. Nico moaned loudly with both pleasure and surprise. After that he lost any sense of patience or modesty he had once had.

            With shaking hands he applied a generous amount of lube to the toy. Then he brought the toy back to where his fingers had been again easily finding his entrance. He felt the toy's tip press against his sensitive rim insistently and took another shuttered breath. Nico let a out shameless cry as he felt the toy breach himself. It was definitely a different feel, and it certainly didn’t compare to Will but it still felt  _good_. 

Nico’s first motions were unsure. It took a few attempts before he found the right angle that left him gasping from sensation. Once he did, Nico set a relentless pace desperate to push himself to climax.

            Normally Nico didn’t rush through sex, he preferred to linger in the intimacy. But this wasn’t sex, not really. This wasn’t about intimacy, trust, or a shared experience. This was about meeting a need and finding release, he was in no mood to tease himself.

            As he abused the sensitive bundle of nerves within the pleasure and sensation becomes too much. He cried out wordlessly as he climaxed spilling onto the bed. Only later would he pat himself on the back for not screaming for Will as he finished.

            After a moment, once the bliss began to fade he used shaking hands remove the toy from himself. He tossed it off the side of the bed carelessly. He would worry about dealing with that properly later, for now he really needed a shower.

            As he padded across the cold stone floor of his cabin barefoot toward the bathroom he took mental stock of his situation. On one hand Nico did actually feel physically satisfied. One the other he missed all the other stuff he hadn’t been worried about moments earlier. He missed the intimacy, the trust that came with being with Will.

            Well, there wasn’t a sex toy that could replicate that, Nico thought frustratedly.  Will was going to have to get over his shadow travel ban soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the shortness of this chapter (I promise there will be longer ones soon).
> 
> I love this chapter for all the things going on in Nico's head, I don't know I just love it.


	5. Answer the Phone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello :)
> 
> So this is the first chapter that doesn't take place before Normal Lives. I think it's pretty obvious where it falls but just encase you can't figure it out it starts off on the same night Nico found out Will wasn't out to his friends.
> 
> It's a super short chapter. Sorry, I was so excited by the idea of it but once I started writing it I realized writing texts fics are hard (so for those of you out there who have tackled that extra kudos to you).
> 
> I'm feeling generous so I'm doing a double post tonight, the next chapter should be up within the hour.

            Will sat on the couch listening to his cousin prattle on about how Molly was  _definitely_  single and his mind began to wonder. It wasn’t that he was trying to be rude. It was just if he listened to Dean go on and remembered what he had rudely interrupted Will was going to strangle him.

            Nico had actually been initiating phone sex. Will was still surprised and confused by that. Nico had been pretty reluctant to the idea every time he brought it up. Will wondered for a moment what had changed Nico’s mind all of a sudden. Quickly he realized thinking about it was just torture. Of course the whole thing was moot, Nico had clearly been upset when they had ended the call.

            Upset was not the right word, Nico had sound so much more than upset. Will still couldn’t believe how short he had sounded or how he had hung up without even a goodbye. 

            As he sat there listening Dean go on and  _on_  he typed a quick text message to Nico:  **Nic, are we okay?**

            When Dean and the others left it was around the normal time Will and Nico talked. Will headed up to his room and called Nico but there was not answer. Will figured he should probably give Nico an opportunity to see he had called, but just couldn’t make himself wait. He called him a second time almost immediately, and again there was no answer.

            Will sat down at his desk and carefully set his phone down. He made sure the device was constantly within his line of sight. At first he tried to work on homework but he couldn’t focus on it for more then a minute at a time. For the next twenty minutes Will sat around. He made a mental list of what Nico could be doing instead of answering the phone.

            Finally, desperation won out and Will called Nico for the third time. Again there was no answer but this time Will left a voice mail:

             “Hey Nic, it’s me, Will obviously.” Will sighed at how pathetically clumsy he sounded. “So it’s our regular time or it was and I called like I promised.” He stated “Your probably in the shower or something.” Will said that more to convince himself than anything else. “Um …… I love you. Call me back okay?”

            Will returned to trying to do homework but again found it impossible to focus. So ten minutes later he called again and left a second voice mail:

            “Hey so as I’m leaving this I’m realizing I don’t know if you know how to check your voice mail this maybe a waste of time.” Will babbled rather thoughtlessly. “Nico, I’m not stupid. I get your upset but I can’t do anything about it until you talk to me so please call me back or at least answer the phone.” He pleaded even though there was no one listening. With a heavy sigh he added. “Love you.”

            After that Will didn’t even try to occupy himself. Instead he just stared at his phone. Five minutes later he sent text:  ** _Nico I get that your upset but you need to answer the phone so we can talk this out._**

            At this point, Will realized even attempting homework was useless. He decided to take a shower instead. It wasn’t as distracting or as pleasant as he had hoped. As soon as he was out, he barely waited to sling a towel around his hips before he attempted to call Nico again. Of course there was no answer. Will sighed disappointedly and made quick work of sending another text message:  ** _Nic, please answer the phone_**

            Will walked back to his bedroom and started getting dressed. As he made slow work of pulling on his clothes his mind began to mull over the whole situation. He couldn’t understand why Nico was so upset. The whole thing became increasingly frustrating. After he pulled on a t-shirt he picked up his phone and called again.

            There was no answer, Will wasn’t surprised. He didn’t bother leaving another voice mail, instead hanging up. He immediately sent another text message:  ** _Nic there is really no reason to make such a big deal about this, I swear._**

            As Will hit the send button he felt righteous. It really wasn’t not big deal, Will thought. So what if his friends don’t know he was gay. It doesn’t mean anything about his feelings about Nico, Will reasoned.

            As time passed and Will feelings of self-righteousness began to be replaced with self-doubt. He wondered if that had been the right thing to say. With Nico, especially when he was upset delicate wording was usually required.

            Sighing he called Nico again and left yet another voice mail. “Nico I’m not trying to say your feeling doesn’t matter. I’m just saying that if you hear me out you’ll see it’s not that big of a deal.”

            Will wasn’t sure if that voice mail would make things better or worse but there was nothing he could do. He gave one last attempt at doing homework and failed miserably. Again tries to do homework, again fails. It’s not like getting his English paper written mattered. He sent a desperate text:  ** _Nic please!_**

            He stared at his phone for close to five minutes trying to will it to ring. When it didn’t he forced himself to walk away. He stayed in the room so he could hear his phone ring as he got his things together for practice in the morning. After that Will packed his backpack for school, shoving his textbooks in roughly.

            When he completely ran out of chores Will sighed resigned and picked up his phone. He called Nico and it went straight to voice mail. Will released that met that Nico had shut off his phone. He had intended to leave a voice mail the realization was too much, he ended up staring at the phone at a complete loss.

            Once the shock and the  _hurt_  wore off Will called again. Again it went straight to voice mail and Will forced himself not to cry at that fact. “I know you shut off your phone so this is probably so useful as talking to myself but I guess I don’t know what else to do…..”

            Once Will hung up he gave up on trying to distract himself. He climbed into bed and tried to go to sleep even though he knew he wouldn’t be able to. He tossed and turned for what felt like an eternity before snatching his cellphone off the nightstand. He typed out a quick message:  ** _Pretty boy, you’re literally killing me here._**

            He held his breath as he held his phone and waited. When the screen blinked he almost shouted out with pure joy but stopped as he realized it was just going through his automatic update cycle. Will growled with frustration as he flopped on to his back. He stared at his phone’s screen for a moment before pulling up Nico’s number and dialing yet again. He leaves what feels like the one hundredth message. “Alright, Nic you’ve made your point! I get it I really, really do! So please talk to me cause the silence is killing me.”

            Will returned to tossing and turning tosses, sleep continues to allude him. Finally, he turns on some music to distract himself from his own thoughts. He isn’t sure how successful of a distraction it was given how every song seemed to remind him of Nico.

            His heart practically jumped in his throat when he heard his door creak open. He sat up in time to see his Mother stick her head in. Will hadn’t even realized she had gotten home “Will what are you doing up?” She asked with mild concern. “It’s late.”

            “Oh.” While Will had been painfully aware of the passage of time he hadn’t actually been paying much attention to what time it was. “Sorry.”

            “Is everything alright?” She asked softly.

            “Um….” Will genuinely didn’t know how to answer that so instead he summed up the situation. “I think Nico’s mad at me and now he’s not answering his phone.”

            His mother eyed the phone still in Will’s hand “How many times have you called him?”

            “Lost count” Will admitted. “Maybe ten?”

            “Hon, he might need some space.” She offered before stressing “and you need sleep.”

            Will yawned involuntarily at the mention of sleep. “I guess” He admitted begrudgingly. Maybe that was why Nico had shut off his phone, because he needed space, some time to think.

            “Good night” His mother declared before slipping out of the room and closing the door behind her.

            Once his mom left Will called Nico one last time, at least for the night. “Hey, Pretty Boy, I love you. Sleep tight” He took a heavy breath before stating. “Hopefully I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always hope you enjoyed.


	6. Nico Gets a Job and More then he bargained for

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I think this more then makes up for the super short chapter preceding this.
> 
> Nico's first time modeling - Need I say more?
> 
> Enjoy :)

            Austin forced Nico to eat before they left camp for the city. Austin stating he wasn’t going to listen to Will bitch when Nico passed out from malnutrition. Nico protested the whole time but grabbed a small snack before requesting a van to take them into the city. Luckily, Austin was a lot less picky about what Nico ate. Coffee and a big bag of peanut butter M&Ms was an acceptable meal as long as Nico shared the M&Ms.

            Nico always marveled at the time it took to get from camp to the city. The distance wasn’t all that much but the traffic was so dense a trip that should have taken a half hour could end up taking two hours. Sitting in cars made Nico antsy on the best of days, and today was not the best of days. He felt like a big ball of emotion slowly being compressed until he was bound to explode.

            At least long car rides didn’t just make him antsy, they clearly had the same effect on Austin. The son of Apollo talked almost nonstop the entire way. He only paused to lean up to the front of the van to adjust the radio. He reminded Nico of a hyperactive puppy, if puppies could talk. There was a time when Nico had thought Will and Austin looked a like. Now that he had gotten to know the other son of Apollo he had a hard time remembering they were related.

            A few time during the ride Nico’s phone buzzed insistently in his pocket. The son of Hades had given leaving the stupid thing in his cabin serious thought. He tried but he just couldn’t make himself do it because apparently he was a glutton for punishment. Every time the thing issued a noise Nico felt like he was being stabbed. He wished Will would just stop trying, or that he didn’t care, or both. After the four or fifth angry ring Austin took it from him, declaring he would give it back when they returned to camp. Nico grumbled but his was thankful.

            The van dropped them off industrial part of the city. It was the type of neighborhood it would have been unethical to leave two teenagers without adult supervision. They walked up a block to meet Mitchell and the neighborhood only got more dilapidated. They found the son of Aphrodite waiting for them outside of abandoned warehouse.

            Mitchell looked much the same as he did at camp, minus the orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and the necklace full of beads. His chocolate colored hair was perfectly styled and his clothes were fashionably distressed. “You’re here!” Mitchell declared happily when he caught sight of them. “Thank the gods!”

            Austin smiled wickedly at the son of Aphrodite as he returned the greeting. “Hey there gorgeous.” 

            Nico’s stomach dropped as he realized that he hadn’t really thought this whole thing out at all. He was in no shape to be around another couple acting….well like a couple.

            “Gods, does that actually work on anyone?” Mitchell inquired sounding both bored and annoyed. Nico wasn’t sure if that was actually possible. Maybe it was for children of Aphrodite.

            Austin didn’t seem deterred which wasn’t surprising since he never seemed deterred. “It worked on you, if I remember correctly” he pointed out cockily.

            Mitchell rolled his eyes dramatically. “I was drunk and clearly not thinking straight.”

            Austin chuckled “Well, duh” The son of Apollo went in for a kiss and Nico honestly thought he might gag at the sight. Luckily there was no need because Mitchell stopped Austin's advance. The son of Aphrodite stuck his hand, palm forward, into Austin’s face effectively holding him back.

            While Austin issued a muffled protest against his boyfriend’s hand the son of Aphrodite turned his attentions Nico. “Honestly Nico, I can’t believe you agreed to this, but thank you.”

            “Yeah, no problem I guess.” Nico mumbled before inquiring “Ah, so what exactly did I agree to?”

            Mitchell shot an angry sideways glance toward Austin. To be honest Nico felt a little bad for the son of Apollo, he didn’t want to be on the receiving end of such a heated look. “You didn’t tell him?” The son of Aphrodite hissed. It sounded more like an accusation then a question.

            Austin seemed completely unaffected by the clear anger suddenly directed at him. It reminded Nico a little of the time he had actually met the god Apollo who had a similar demeanor. Austin shrugged causally. “I thought it would be better coming from you.” The blonde explained with an innocent expression. Or at least the closest thing to innocent the demigod could managed. “You know silver tongued child of Aphrodite and all.”

            “I don’t have charmspeak!” Mitchell declared before giving Nico a look he didn’t quite know how to interrupt. The son of Aphrodite sighed loudly “Come on,” He waved at them to follow before turning on his heels. As Mitchell walked further down the street with Nico and Austin a half a step behind. “We’re on kind of a tight time table so I’ll explain while we walk.” The brunet shot a look at Nico over his shoulder as they continued to walk. “I mentioned my dad’s a clothing designer, right?”

             “Um, yeah.” Nico replied unsure. He vaguely remembered mention of it over the summer but didn’t understand it’s relevance now. The son of Hades was suddenly nervous about what he had agreed to.

            “Great!” Mitchell exclaimed. “So he’s expanding his line.” he continued. “Today, they’re shooting the first of the print ads and one of the models dropped out last minute to go work for Calvin Klein.” Mitchell turned a corner and started down a trash filled alley.

            “Okay?” Nico dragged out the word with confusion. “What does that have to do with me?”

            Mitchell stopped short in front of a door Nico wouldn’t have noticed otherwise. He turned and looked at Nico. “My dad’s going for a pretty specific look for the ad campaign and you fit it perfectly.”

            “Wait, you want me to model?” Nico asked perplexed.

            “Pretty much” Austin answered for his boyfriend. Nico looked toward the son of Apollo to find he was grinning.

            Mitchell again glared fire at Austin before turning back to Nico with a much kinder expression. “It’s just a couple hours, and you’ll be paid serious money for it.” He explained, and Nico could have sworn he was pleading. “If you’re comfortable doing it, that is.”

            Nico squirmed in spite of himself. He suddenly felt wildly uncomfortable in his own skin. “What would I have to do exactly?” He asked, likely surprising himself more than he did the other two.

            Mitchell let out a loud sigh of relief before turning his back on them again. He pushed the door that had been behind him open. He took one step in and held the door open indicating they should follow. Austin to a step before Nico could remind himself to move. “You?” Mitchell asked over his shoulder. “Pretty much put on the clothes we give you and stand around while the photographer takes pictures of you.”

            Mitchell had led them into the building’s interior. The inside was much as the outside led one to believe. The inside was little more than one large space with the ceiling several stories above their heads. It had clearly been a factory or warehouse at one point. There was the occasional brick pillar and metal catwalks lined the upper walls.

            The space was empty accept for the far corner. In that corner there was several large white partitions and circular lights pointing toward the center of the blocked off space. In the distance, Nico thought he could hear someone speaking rapidly. At such a distance Nico couldn’t make out the words.

            “That’s all?” Nico asked skeptically. The son of Hades couldn’t imagine it was that easy. He thought he remembered someone saying models made a lot of money. If that was true then it had to be challenging.

            Mitchell snorted “With your pouty face, yeah that’s pretty much it.” he declared. Nico gapped at him. He wanted to protest, Nico always hated when Will made comments like that. His face was  _not_  pouty. Mitchell looked over his shoulder and seemed to read Nico’s expression. The son of Aphrodite stopped and turned on his heels again so he was properly facing them. “So you in?”

            Nico chewed his lip as he mulled it over. “Yeah, I guess.” he answered nervously.

            Nico saw Austin grin at his boyfriend. “And you were worried?” The son of Apollo teased.

            “Great.” Mitchell replied although he didn’t look all that excited. Actually, if Nico didn’t know better he would have said Mitchell was cautiously optimistic at best. “Do you want to maybe call Will and talk to him about it?” He asked gently. Mitchell didn’t notice or didn’t care that Austin was shaking his head in warning. “I know he gets a bit possessive.”

            Pure rage ripped through Nico. It was more anger then he had felt in a long time and Nico was shocked by how overwhelming it was. He could practically see red clouding his field of vision. He could feel the shadows practically seeping from his skin. “I don’t need Will’s permission!”

            “Um?” Mitchell turned to Austin with a confused expression.

            “They had a fight” Austin informed.

            Mitchell eyed Nico before turning again to Austin “What did Will do?”

            “He’s in the closet” Austin replied before further explaining “Like  _way_  it the closet. Like back behind the Halloween, Thanksgiving,  _and_  Christmas decorations in the closet.”

            “Oh” Mitchell replied with apparent understanding. “Alright then.” He seemed to take that as an adequate explanation. Mitchell turned his head and shouted over his shoulder. “Dad, I found the solution to your problem!”

            Nico had a spike of doubt as he noticed someone walking toward them from the crowded corner of the warehouse. This was not a good idea. For one Nico had no idea how to model and two Will really would lose it when he found out. Nico held on to the second thought and embraced the anger it caused to push away the nerves. As the man got closer it became clear he was the source of the voice Nico had noticed when they first walked it. He had a cell phone held up to his ear and was speaking into it at a rapid rate. Nico could have sworn he was speaking Italian.

            “Hey Mr. Bellomi” Austin waved happily in greeting.

            The man that Nico could only assume was Mitchell’s father barely looked at them. He seemed far more interested in his phone call then in their existence. “Generic blond pretty boy, everyone has one of those.” The man commented dismissively before turned back toward the set. “But thanks for the effort Mitch.”

            Mitchell rolled his eyes and complained under his breath. “I hate when he calls me Mitch.”

            “Did he call me generic?” Austin asked them looking both shocked and appalled. “What does he mean ‘generic’?”

            “Dad, wait!” Mitchell called after his father, ignoring his boyfriend and his fragile ego completely. “That’s just Austin.”

            Austin’s eyes practically bugged out of his head, Nico chuckled under his breath at the sight. “What do you mean ‘just Austin’!?!”

            Mitchell sent a quick glare in Austin’s direction before looking back to his father. “I was actually talking about Nico.” Mitchell explained as he gestured in Nico’s direction.

            “ _Seriously,_  what do you mean ‘just Austin’!?!” Austin asked again with more force. Mitchell rolled his eyes in annoyance. He pushed his hand in Austin’s face again in a successful attempt to silence the son of Apollo.

            Mitchell’s dad stopped walking away but didn’t look back at them right away. After huffing rather dramatically he let lose a string of Italian profanity into his cell phone before turning around.

            Hearing such an intense string of curses in his native tongue had Nico remembering a moment from his childhood. It was only a couple months before his mother died; she had overheard him say  _merda_  and washed his mouth out with soap.  “That was some serious cursing.” Nico observed as he tried to scarp the taste of imaginary soap out of his mouth.

            The comment brought Mr. Bellomi’s attention to Nico. While the man still had a cell phone pressed to his ear he seemed suddenly very interested. The way he was eyeing him was making Nico mildly uncomfortable. After what felt like an eternity the man’s gaze softened. He turned slightly before speaking into his cell phone. “Never mind, my solution just walked in.” He declared before promptly hanging up his phone. He tucked the small device into his pocket and turned his attention back to them. “Nico is it?”

            “Um yeah” Nico muttered his reply.

            “You speak Italian?” Mitchell’s dad inquired with a smile.

            Nico nodded and shifted his weight on the balls of his feet nervously. “Born in Venice.” He replied as some kind of explanation.

            “Of course,” Mr. Bellomi nodded “you have that Venetian look.” He eyed Nico critically for a moment. “Have you ever modeled before?”

            “No” Nico replied nervously.

            The man shrugged like that didn’t really matter. “How old are you?”

            “Fif-” Nico began.

            “Old enough.” Mitchell replied quickly before shooting Nico a look as if to as ‘go with it’.

            Mr. Bellomi sighed “I’m putting sixteen on the paperwork,” he stated plainly. “avoid the worst of the child labor laws.” The words were said in Nico’s direction but he had no idea what to do with any of it. Luckily, Mitchell’s dad didn’t seem to expect him to say or do anything. He turned to Mitchell. “Get him dressed and get him in hair and make-up.”

            “Sure thing.” Mitchell nodded before turning to Nico and Austin. “Come on.” The son of Aphrodite gestured for them to follow before beginning to walk. Nico and Austin followed. Austin was still grumbling about the ‘just Austin’ comment.

            “Wait!” Mr. Bellomi called after them and all three demigods stopped. Mitchell looked back at his father inquisitively. His father pointed toward Austin. “Who’s the other one again?”

            “Austin” Mitchell replied plainly.

            “Oh, so I’ve upgraded from  _just_  Austin?” Austin grumbled.

            “Another friend from camp?” His father asked curiously.

            “Something like that,” Mitchell shrugged “Boyfriend.” Nico stared at the son of Aphrodite completely dumbfounded. Mitchell couldn’t be coming out to his father right now, Nico thought, not is such a causal manner.

            Mitchell father looked confused for a moment before asking. “I thought you liked girls?”

            “I do” Mitchell replied. Nico’s mouth practically hit the floor. He couldn’t believe this whole thing was being discussed so flippantly. He had practically given himself a panic attack working up the nerve to tell Hazel. “Just turns out I like boys too.”

            Mr. Bellomi nodded “Alright then, just remember to use protection.”

            Mitchell grinned before responding “Always do.” Nico almost choked on his own saliva at that and Austin snickered.

            “Good.” Mitchell’s dad declared before gesturing toward Nico. “Get him ready quickly I’m already over paying the photographer to stay around.”

            “No problem” Mitchell stated before starting to lead them further into the warehouse.

            Mitchell had lead them through the warehouse proper. First through a metal door so rusted Nico was shocked it didn’t disintegrate at his touch. Then they went up a flight of stairs that shook violently with their every step. Finally, Mitchell brought them to a much smaller space. It had likely served as office space when the building was functional. Now it seemed to be playing the part of dressing room.

            The room was a mess. It reminded Nico of Percy’s cabin at camp Half-Blood except for the addition of large quantities of cologne in the air. It was strange, but seeing the dressing room made the whole thing seem real and that wasn’t a bad thing. Nico remembered what Mitchell had said, all he had to do was put on the clothes he was given and stand there. Nico could do that, he thought. He really believed that right up until Mitchell handed him a black pair of boxer briefs.

            “What are these?” Nico asked looking at the article of clothing with confusion.

            “It’s your clothes for the shot.” Austin explained nervously. 

            Nico looked at the son of Aphrodite bewildered. He looked down at the boxers in his hand and then back up at Mitchell. “What?”

            Austin through himself on a couch that was pushed against one wall. “Welcome to the exciting world of underwear modeling my friend.” The son of Apollo teased with a cocky grin.

            Nico’s eyes widened dramatically as he realized Austin was serious. Mitchell was expecting him to walk around in front of strangers in nothing but his underwear. “No, absolutely not.” Nico declared firmly “No.”

            “But you said.” Mitchell retorted.

            Nico was suddenly very glad the son of Aphrodite did  _not_  have charmspeak. “That was before.”

            “Oh will stop acting like such a prude!” Austin declared before giving Nico a knowing grin. “We both know you’re not.” Nico blushed at that comment. He couldn’t even blame Austin’s wealth of knowledge completely on his boyfriend. Austin waved his hand at Nico in a gesture that said ‘move along’. “So put on the skimpy man panties already so we can get this show on the road.”

            Nico noticed Mitchell shot a disapproving look at Austin. The son of Hades folded his arms over his chest to physically personify his stubbornness. “I am not walking around in front of a bunch of strangers in nothing but my underwear, let alone letting someone take my picture.”

            “Nico, it really won’t be that many people.” Mitchell tried to reassure “The other models have already left, I can take care of hair and make-up. That just leaves the photographer and dad.”

            Nico huffed indignantly. “That’s not the point.”

            “Dude, it’s not that much different than being ogled by horny demigods at camp, so you should be used to it.” Austin pointed out. He must have noticed how Nico stared at him confused. “Ninety percent of camp that showed up to those sword-fighting classes were there to check out Percy’s pecs and your ass.”

            “What!?!” Nico sputtered in shock. That couldn't be true he thought. Although there was always a lot of seasoned campers at the class, which he had found strange because it was met as a beginner's class.

            “Not helping” Mitchell hissed in Austin’s direction.

            “What?” Austin asked incredulously “It’s true.”

            Nico didn’t have time or extra brain power to process this new information. The son of Hades shook away the whole train of thought to be dealt with at a later date. “I’m not doing this.” Nico declared with finality.

            “Okay, I understand that’s how you feel right now, but is there anything I can do to convince you otherwise?” Mitchell asked gently.

            Austin rolled his eyes and sighed heavily. “Oh my gods!” He exclaimed with clear annoyance. “di Angelo, just think about how it will drive Will nuts.” he offered, and Nico hated to admit it but the thought appealed to his anger. “You know how he gets. He punched Jordan for looking at you.” Austin reminded. 

            Nico recognized that was a simplification of what had happened, but he still got Austin’s point. “Think about him back in Tennessee going crazy ‘cause he has to hear girls and guys talk about how hot you are when they see the ads.” Austin continued. 

            Nico realized he should have been uncomfortable with that thought but he wasn't. He found the idea strangely appealing. “I can’t think of a better way to show him how stupid he is to hide you from his friends.”

            “Austin!” Mitchell hissed disapprovingly.

            Nico recognized Austin was trying to manipulate him. He was just too overwhelmed by his own righteous anger to care. He pushed his hand out toward Mitchell forcefully. “Just give them to me.”

            The son of Aphrodite eyed Nico with concern which Nico didn’t appreciate. “Nico?” Mitchell questioned.

            “Babe, he wants to do it.” Austin pointed out reassuringly. “Let him do it.”

            Mitchell again shot his boyfriend a disapproving look and made no move to hand Nico the briefs. Nico growled and pushed his hand further toward the son of Aphrodite. “Seriously, before I change my mind.”

            Mitchell looked at Nico reluctantly for a long moment before handing over the wad of black fabric. Nico snatched them out of Mitchell’s perfectly manicured hands. As he did so he noticed the other two demigods exchange a look. He recognized it for what it was, he and Will did the same thing, it was a silent argument. The son of Hades ignored it, after all it wasn’t his problem.

            He ducked behind the sheet Mitchell had been thoughtful enough to hang up in one corner. Nico was grateful for the privacy as he began to undress. He could hear the other two boys exchanging hushed words and could tell it was an argument just by the tone.

            Nico had discarded his jacket and t-shirt. He had just started working on the laces of his boots when Mitchell’s voice cut through the makeshift current. “Nico do you want anything?”

            “No, I’m fine” Nico replied rather thoughtlessly.

            “You sure?” Mitchell questioned. “You don’t want like a drink or something?”

            Nico gave the question some additional thought as he tugged at the laces of his combat boots. He pulled off his left boot and replied. “A latte would be nice”

              There was quiet on other side of curtain for so long Nico began to wonder if Mitchell had heard him. It was Austin’s voice that finally cut through the silence. “Why are you looking at me?” Nico heard the son of Apollo ask. “I am not a personal assistant.”

            Whatever Mitchell’s response to that statement was it was not spoken. Nico heard footsteps crossing the room. Then there was a creak of protest from that old couch Austin was laying and finally a strange sound. It had been something between a moan and a whimper.

            “Okay then, I’m going to go get some lattes.” Austin declared. Whatever Mitchell’s method of persuasion, it had clearly worked. Nico could hear the son of Apollo cross the room quickly before rushing out the door.

            With Austin gone, Nico finished striping off his second boot.  “Do I want to know what just happened?” He asked although he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

            “I’m a child of Aphrodite.” Mitchell explained casually. Nico had to marvel at how much Mitchell differed from his half-sister Piper. He couldn’t image her using her sexually to get Jason to do things. Then again she did have the benefit of charmspeak, so maybe that was the difference. Either way, the son of Aphrodite seemed to be more than a match for Austin. “I know how to use my sexuality to my advantage.”

            “He’s a child of Apollo” Nico retorted “It doesn’t take much.” Nico knew that all too well from his own experience with Will. Will…. that wasn’t a line of thought he wanted to follow. He forced his mind back to the present by focusing on working off his belt.

            “You’re not wrong.” The son of Aphrodite chuckled on the other side of the makeshift curtain. “Sometime we should compare notes.”

            Nico didn’t say anything, he couldn’t, it would involve talking about Will. He wiggled out of jeans and boxers quickly. It hit him that he was naked with Mitchell just on the other side of the curtain which was beyond strange. He made quick work of pulling on the briefs Mitchell had given them. They were tighter then Nico was used to and clearly left little to the imagination.

            Will was going to kill him, Nico thought and then groaned inwardly. This was supposed to bother Will, that was the point, Nico reminded himself. He turned to walk through the curtain. He just wanted to get this whole thing over. Then he caught sight of himself in the mirror propped in the corner. “Mitchell, I can’t do this.” Nico stated with a sight. His eyes lingered on his own reflection.

            “What’s wrong?” Mitchell asked with clear concern.

            “I……” Nico started. He examined the landscape of his own chest. The various scars that crisscrossed here and there. Some were thin, barely noticeable lines while others were thick jagged ridges. Nico never really gave his scars much thought, most demigod’s had them, so they weren’t a big deal. Now was different though, models were supposed to be beautiful. He couldn't even begin to think of a way to express that. “I have a tattoo.”

            “So does the model you’re replacing.” Mitchell replied. “It’s fine. It adds to the whole edgy look dad is going for.”

            Absently, Nico ran a finger over the silvery flesh of a particularly rough scar. “I have scars.” Nico admitted in little more than a whisper. The son of Hades brought his hand up to the claw mark on his arm. “A lot of scars.”

            “Dude, you helped save the world twice!” Mitchell responded “I would be shocked if you didn’t.”

            “But” Nico protested weakly as he forced himself to look away from mirror. “they’re ugly.”

            “Okay, so speaking as a child of the goddess of beauty here. Beauty has very little to do with skin.” Austin explained. “So called attractive people can be ugly, and so called ugly people can be beautiful. Not that you fall into either of those categories” The son of Aphrodite continued. “Beauty is more of an energy that comes from within a person than anything else.”

            Nico sucked in a steeling breath before stepping out from behind the curtain. He eyed the other demigod sitting on the couch critically. “Promise that’s not the speech you used to give girls when you were trying to get laid.”

            Mitchell grinned and shrugged. “Doesn’t make any less true.”

            Oh yeah, Nico thought, Mitchell and Austin were a perfect match. They were practically partners in crime, and Nico had let them talk him into this. The son of Hades shifted uncomfortably on his heels as he tried to remember how the two had managed it. He reached across himself and grabbed his other arm near the elbow in an attempt to cover himself.

            Nico was about ask if they could just get this over with or maybe he was going to say he changed his mind. The door flew open just then and whatever Nico was going to say died in his throat. Austin walked in carrying to large cups and a small white paper bag. “Alright, I got two vanilla lattes and a few cake pops just in case.” Austin explained as he looked at the things in his hands. When the son of Apollo looked up from his food delivery and caught sight of Nico his eyes went wide and he exclaimed. “Holy shit!”

            Nico felt heat creep up his neck. “I’m putting my clothes back on.” he grumbled and went to turn.

            “No, your fine” Mitchell reassured. The son of Aphrodite shot a pointed glance at Austin. “He’s feeling insecure about his scars.” He explained. Nico doubted Mitchell noticed but he still glared at him just to prove a point.

            “Why?” Austin questioned sincerely. “The scars are hot!” he declared before pointing toward Nico’s arm. “The claw mark ones on your arm, especially fucking hot.” Austin tossed the white bag onto a nearby table. “Honestly, I’ve owe Will an apology.” Austin walked over to Mitchell and handed him one of the cups. “All those soliloquies about your hotness turned out to be wildly accurate.” He walked over to Nico and handed him the other cup. Nico took it even though he was contemplating punching the other demigod in the face. Austin grinned at him. “You should really start wearing better fitting shirts, stop hiding the goodies.”

            “Hey Austin,” Mitchell called catching his boyfriend’s attention. “Remember that sex we were planning on having, you know  _ever_  again?”

            “What? I’m observing all of this in a purely objective stand point.” Austin defended, trying to look innocent. It was clearly not an expression he was used to wearing, and he wasn’t very good at it. “He’s practically my brother-in-law, and my friend. Anything else would be weird.”

            “Uh-hu” Mitchell hummed doubtfully. Nico gave up on gaping at the couple and turned to sip his coffee.

            “Come on baby.” Austin exclaimed pleadingly. “You know I only have eyes for you.” Nico heard Mitchell huff dismissively. “Besides power bottoms really aren’t my thing.” Austin added.

            Nico nearly choked on his coffee and then coughed. He turned to Austin his eyes bulging. “Excuse me!”

            “Will might have let certain things about your sexual relationship slip over the summer.” Austin informed with a casual shrug. “Did I forget to mention.”

            That should not have been surprising information. Nico was well aware of Will’s tendency to be loose lipped on the topic of their private relations. Still the comment reignited his anger. “Let’s get this over with.” Nico declared through clinched teeth.

 

            Mitchell hadn’t been wrong; the whole thing was shockingly easy. The photographer was a middle-aged Italian man who dressed like a man half his age. When Nico came on to the set he put on horrible music to help “set the mood”. For the most part Nico just had to stand there when the photographer took pictures. He would shift his stance or his gaze after every few snap sounds from the camera. At the start of the session the photographer did a lot of talking in Italian. Some were suggestions but for most were wildly inappropriate compliments. That quickly stopped when Nico hissed back a very real threat in the same language.

            Nico wasn’t really sure how much time had passed when Austin called from the blackness behind the camera. “Your monster magnet is ringing, and it’s not Will.”

            “Go ahead and take that, Bello” Mitchell’s dad offered casually.

            Nico tried to ignore the new nickname and walked off set. He took his cell phone from Austin’s hand and saw it was Jason. He answered even though he needed to shout over the loud music to do so. “Hello?”

            “Hey Nico?” Jason replied, and he was hard to hear. Nico pressed his finger to his free ear in an attempt to block out some of the noise. “You called?”

            “What?” Nico questioned but remembered as soon as he asked. “Oh yeah, I guess I did earlier.”

            “Is everything okay?” Jason questioned loudly. “Where are you? And why are you listening to techno?”

            “Um” Nico looked around him. “I’m still on set.”

            “What?” Jason replied, still speaking loudly. “Set of what?”

            “Nothing” There was no way he ever wanted to tell his friends about any of this. “Never mind” Nico insisted. “What’s up Jason?”

            “I’m returning your call” Jason reminded “Is everything okay?”

            “Yeah, everything is fine.” Nico replied before quickly correcting himself. “Well, no that’s not true, everything is  _not_  fine.” he sighed heavily. “Will and I had a fight, or I guess we will have a fight when I decide to start speaking to him again.” Nico informed “if I decide to start speaking to him again.”

            “What happened?” Jason asked clearly concerned.

            Nico huffed, it wasn’t something he wanted to talk about. “Will’s isn’t out at home” Nico stated “None of his school friends know he’s gay.”

            “Wow” Jason exclaimed with clear surprise.

            “Yeah” Nico agreed with heavy disappointment.

            “That must bring back a lot of feeling from before…” Jason started.

            Nico knew what Jason was getting at and cut him off. “Jason I really don’t want to talk about it I just….” Nico paused. He heard the photographer complaining loudly to Mitchell’s dad about being on set all day. He rolled his eyes at the man’s overly dramatic nature. Still, Nico figured he should probably cut the phone call short so he could return to set. “Sorry, Jason but I’m being beaconed by the photographer.” He cringed as he realized he had probably said to much. He hoped Jason wouldn’t notice. “I’ve got to go.”

            “Fine,” Jason agreed before adding seriously. “but you’re explaining whatever is going on in the background there later.”

            “Um” Nico responded. He couldn’t think of anything worse. “I guess if I have to.” Nico sighed “talk to you later Jason.” Nico quickly hung up the phone and returned to set.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could say so much about this chapter (because there is so much in it) but in the end I hope you all enjoyed it.


	7. We Flip a Coin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this bit overlaps with chapter 7 of Normal Lives (The morning after Nico and Will make up from their fight). If you had wondered what Dean and Will had talked about in the hall now you get to find out.
> 
> Also smut warning: Mostly at the very beginning, but there is mentions of smut toward the end.

            “Don’t worry” Will reassured. He ran his hand down the delicate curve of Nico’s spine. His eyes lingering on the details of his tattooed wings. He continued to work his two fingers in and out of Nico’s tight entrance slowly. “I’m sure it was nothing”

           Felt Nico tense under him and Will figured his boyfriend was about to argue that point. Will curled his fingers and ran them along Nico’s inner wall until he found the small rosebud of nerves within the other boy.

            “Ohh” Nico moaned and visibly relaxed under him. Will couldn’t help but chuckle. He loved the noises Nico made. He curled his fingers again, focusing his attention on that sensitive spot. “Ohhhh” Nico moaned more loudly.

            Another sound came from down stairs, then another, then another. Each noise was louder than the last. As much as Will wanted to deny the noises even existed he couldn’t. He was too familiar with it- it was the sound of someone coming up the stairs.

            Underneath him Nico was quivering desperately. Will noticed how Nico dug his nails into the sheets before whining “Will.”

            Nico looked so good under him, his new tattoo was beyond sexy. It had been so long since Will had gotten to enjoy Nico  _in this way_ , he didn’t want to stop. He pressed his third finger forward. He focused his attention on the small gasp that slipped from Nico’s lips and  _not_  the sound of someone ascending the stairs. “She probably just forgot her yoga mat” He tried to reassure both Nico and himself. “We’re fine as long as we stay quiet until she leaves.”

            “Will!” He heard his cousin’s voice. Will figured Dean was already half way up the stairs.

            “Shit!” He cursed. Will seriously contemplated murdering his cousin as he pulled his fingers back. Nico knees seemed to give and he collapsed onto the bed. 

            Will had to appreciate Nico’s battle tested reflexes. He watched as Nico scurried under the blanks with lightning speed. He noticed the glare his boyfriend shot in his direction before he directed his gaze to the bedroom door.

            Will shot the door his own angry look before climbing off the bed to retrieve his boxers and sweatpants. “It’s Dean,” He explained as he pulled on his underwear. “I’ll deal with it.”

            “Dude, I have taken enough soccer balls to the face for you.” Dean declared in his signature joking manner. Will worked to pull on his sweats but wasn’t fast enough. They were about half way up his legs when his bedroom door flew open and Dean stepped into the room. “So you better be…..” That was about all Dean managed to say. When he actually processed the scene, Dean stopped mid-sentence. Silently, Dean looked from Will to Nico (who was currently trying to make himself as small as possible under the blankets) and back to Will.

            “So you better be…..” That was about all Dean managed to say. When he actually processed the scene, Dean stopped mid-sentence. Silently, Dean looked from Will to Nico (who was currently trying to make himself as small as possible under the blankets) and back to Will.

            “Seriously?” Will sighed annoyed as he tugged his sweats the rest of the way up. “Why does no one believe in knocking?” Will asked exasperated. From the corner of his eye he noticed how Nico pulled his legs up to his chest and tried to bury his face in his knees. Will felt bad but at least Nico hadn’t shadow-traveled away.

            “Dude, I dropped you off last night at like eight!” Dean exclaimed looking shocked. “How was I supposed to know you managed to pick up some random guy in less than twelve hours!?!”

            “I did not pick up some random guy!” Will exclaimed harshly. He looked toward his boyfriend who had unburied his face to glare at him. Will smiled at him reassuringly as he promised. “I don’t go and pick up random guys.”

            “Um dude” Dean stated pointing toward Nico like evidence to the contrary.

            “No this isn’t a random guy.” Will hissed.

            “Um looks like….” Dean started.

            “No” Will huffed “this is Nico.”

            “Hi” Nico managed a weak wave “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

            “The boyfriend? Really?” Dean asked looking at Will skeptically.

            “Yes”

            “Wow!” Dean exclaimed surprised before looking over at Nico. He waved “Hey, sorry you’re just  _not_  what I was expecting, like  _at all_.”

            Yeah, Will was absolutely going to kill his cousin. “Thanks for that Dean” he groaned as he grabbed Dean by the arm and pulled him toward the door. “You and me need to have a conversation in the hall  _now_.”

            Dean stumbled along, although Will wasn’t really leaving him much choice. “Fine, fine” he agreed. Will almost had him completely out the door when Dean craned his head over Will’s shoulder. “It was nice meeting you.”

            Will pulled the door shut roughly and glared “What are you doing here and why do you hate me!”

            “Dude don’t be a drama queen!” Dean replied. “And are we really talking about me right now? My presence is not nearly as interesting as….that.” His cousin pointed at the door with a smirk “Was he naked?”

            “Yes.” Will admitted curtly. “Which is why I currently want to murder you!” He threatened. “So do you want to explain why you’re here cock-blocking me or should we skip straight to the homicide?”

            “I’m so fucking proud of you right now!” Dean snickered whipping away a fake tear “You’re growing up so fast.”

            “You know what, I don’t care why you’re here, just leave.” Will retorted dryly “And remember, you saw nothing.” He turned to walk back into his bedroom where Nico was hopefully still naked.

            “Dude” Dean laughed “We have practice.” He declared causing Will to pause “I’m here to pick you up.”

            “No we don’t.” Will denied stubbornly although now that Dean said it Saturday morning practice sounded familiar.

            “Yeah, we do.” Dean reiterated sympathetically.

            Will looked at the closed bedroom door with longingly. He could imagine Nico sprawled out on his multi-colored comforted naked and perfect. He whined and stomped his foot like a five-year-old having a temper tantrum. “I’m not going.”

            “That is an understandable decision” Dean nodded “And what am I supposed to tell coach when he asks?”

            Will had really given that much thought, and he really didn’t care. He just wanted to get back into bed with the gorgeous naked boy that was waiting for him. “Telling him I’m sick.”

            Dean smirked at him knowingly “Well you  _do_  plan on staying in bed.”

            Will grinned proudly “There you go, problem solved.”

            “And when coach sees your mom and asks how you’re feeling?” Dean reasoned.

            “Damn” Will hissed at his rotten luck. “I hadn’t thought of that.” The son of Apollo wanted to reason that the likelihood of that actually happening was slim. Of course, that was a lie and he knew it. His mom and the coach were co-workers, they talked all the time. If he couldn’t miss one assignment without his mom finding out ,there was no way he could skip practice without her knowing. He shot Dean a suspicious glance “Since when are you the voice of reason?”

            “We’re practically brothers, I’ve got your back” Dean replied. He gave Will an expectant look so “So?”

            “I don’t know” Will admitted begrudgingly “I’ll figure something out”

            “Will, bless your heart but you are the worst liar I’ve ever met. You’ll end up grounded until college. Considering how well you did with three days of no phone contact, I don’t even want to imagine.” Dean patted him on the shoulder sympathetically. “Sorry my friend but it looks like no make-up sex for you.”

            Will sighed “No morning sex” he corrected “We had the make-up sex last night.”

            Dean gapped at him and Will snickered. “Go wait down stairs” Will directed with resignation “I’ll be down in a minute.”

            As Dean head for the stairs Will went for the door of his bedroom. He pulled the door open an apology was already spilling out of him. “Nic, I’m so sorry.” He let the door fall shut behind him as he caught sight of Nico. He was standing fully clothed looking around the room. “You’re dressed.” He pointed out disappointedly “Why are you dressed?”

            Nico gave him a sad smile “Because you have practice and you have to leave.” he replied shrugging his small but well sculpted shoulders.

            “I don’t want to!” Will insisted. “But if I don’t coach will definitely call my mom and she will ask me why I missed and since I haven’t been sick since the great food poisoning incident of ’98….” he sighed heavily “and if I tell her the truth she’ll kill me, bring me back from the dead only to kill me again.”

            “I understand Will, it’s fine” Nico replied although his disappointment was clear. “I really should get back to camp anyways, I didn’t actually tell anyone I was leaving.”

            Gods, Will didn’t want Nico to leave. He didn’t want to go back to trying to do this long distance. Will wanted to be able to reach out and feel Nico’s cool skin under his fingertips whenever he wanted. Somehow he figured, the son of Hades would be opposed to hiding in his bedroom for the next seven or eight months.

            Will decided to take advantage of the few moments he had. He crossed the room in three or four large strides. Cupping Nico’s soft cheek with one hand while holding the back of his neck with the other he pulled Nico close. He kissed the son of Hades’ velvety lip wantonly, with everything thing he had in him. He was pleased to feel how Nico sank into him. The smaller boy pressed his weight against Will's chest as he pushed up on his toes to meet Will’s kiss. 

            Will didn’t want the kiss to end, he never wanted it to end, but he still knew it had to. Reluctantly he broke away pressing his forehead against Nico’s.  “I’m going to make this up to you” he promised softly.

            Nico gave him a playful smile “You’re all talk Sunshine.”

            Will pulled back to get a better look at Nico’s perfect face “Oh really?” He questioned suggestively.

            Nico nodded and Will wondered if they could make a quick go of things. Nico was already ready, Will had already taken care of that. Based on the heat he fetl between his own legs his hyped up teenaged body was working hard to raise to the occasion. Will was trying to decide if he should pick Nico up and toss him on the bed or stripe Nico of all his clothes first when the door flew open.

            Nico groaned and pressed his forehead against Will’s chest as Dean strolled in like he owned the place. “I  _told_  you to wait down stairs” Will hissed frustratedly.

            “Yeah, yeah I heard you,” Dean brushed Will off like it was nothing. “but I’m not waiting in the living room while you try to sneak in a quickie so get dressed.”

            Inwardly, Will cursed and wondered how Dean had known what he was thinking. “I am going to hit you with so many soccer balls.” Will declared stepping away from Nico and retrieving a large gym bag from his closet. “And I’m not going to be aiming for your face.”

            In typical Dean fashion, he seemed to ignore everything Will said. The son of Apollo noticed who his cousin turned on his boyfriend with a mischievous interest. “So Nico you’re coming down for Will’s birthday right?” Dean asked with curiosity “We’re all going camping.”

            Gods, Will groaned inwardly, he was not still going on about camping. Will was never going camping again ever not after what had happened last time. He had made that perfectly clear on several occasions. “I am not going camping.” Will reminded as he crossed the room to his dresser and started rummaging.

            “Yes you are.” Dean stated dismissively before turning back to Nico. “Yes he is. So you’re coming right?”

            Nico shrugged uncomfortably and shot Will a questioning glance. Will stepped in before Dean could try to get Nico to agree to something even worse than camping. “You know, we have some time to make plans for my birthday so he really doesn’t have to answer that right this second.” Will reminded. Once again he grabbed Dean by the arm and dragged him toward the door. “Now you are going back downstairs so I can brush my teeth and get dressed.”

           “But it would be rude to leave a house guess unentertained.” Dean protested as Will pushed him out the door.

            “Yes, but it would be cruel and unusual punishment to leave him alone with you.” Will hissed before shooting Nico a playful wink. He hoped the behavior got his message across. Will wasn’t trying to hide Nico, but rather trying to protect him from having to answer uncomfortable questions.

            Will practically shoved Dean down the stairs as he shut his bedroom door. With Nico safely tucked away and Dean stomping down the stairs Will ran to the bathroom. He dressed quickly, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and brushed his hair. All the while he worried that Nico would be gone when he got back to his bedroom.

            He was pleasantly surprised that Nico was standing where Will had left him. “Good you’re still here.” Will observed relieved. “I was worried you might of shadow-traveled back to camp while I was brushing my teeth.” He walked over to his bed and slung his gym bag over his shoulder. Looking back at Nico, he found his boyfriend was visibly distracted. He tried not to smirk but it was hard, Nico so rarely seemed distracted. The son of Hades eyes were clearly lingering on Will’s bare legs. “Nico” he called.

            “What?” Nico’s eyes snapped upward to meet Will’s “Sorry, I missed that.”

            Will smiled at his flustered boyfriend. “I’m learning so much about you today.” he stated playfully. “First spanking and now the soccer uniform.” He teased before adding “I wonder what would happen if I spanked you while I was wearing the soccer uniform.”

            Nico’s cheeks clearly pinked and he diverted his eyes. “Haven’t you teased me enough this morning?” Nico grumbled.

            Will knew Nico didn’t mean it but that stung a little. He tried to keep his voice light and playful as he defended. “Hey, not by choice” He stepped forward and smirked. “but I am so making a mental note for later, you really like the soccer uniform.” He let his fingers graze Nico’s still pink cheek. “I’ll call you later, at our normal time.” He promised softly. If he were being honest he said because he needed to hear Nico know say he would actually answer.

            “Alright.” Nico nodded leaning his cheek ever so slightly against his hand.

            “And you’ll answer?” Will questioned.

            “I guess” Nico replied with heavy sarcasm “if I have to”

            Will smiled at him before pulling Nico in for one last kiss. Nico’s lips were so soft and inviting Will didn’t want the kiss to ever end, but it did. “I love you” he whispered.

            “I love you too” Nico replied softly.

            Reluctantly Will pulled away and started for the door. He hand was on the doorknob when Nico called his name and he turned back. “Is there somewhere dark in this house?” Nico asked “I can’t exactly shadow-travel when there aren’t any shadows.”

           “You say that like it’s a bad thing, maybe you’ll just have to stay” Will teased. Nico glared at him. Will gave it some actual thought before he shrugged “There’s my bedroom closet.”

           Nico rolled his eyes “Fine I’ll make that work.” he declared before making a shoeing gesture in Will’s direction. “Go, have fun at practice.” Will paused at the door and looked back at Nico longingly before leaving.

           Outside Will throw his gym bag onto the backseat of Dean’s ancient Honda Civic before climbing into the passenger seat. Dean grinned at him from the driver’s seat before starting the car and pulling out of the driveway. Driving toward the town’s main street Dean shot Will a sideways glance.

           As they came to a stop at the four way stop at the end of the block Dean finally spoke. “Who  _are_  you?” He questioned.

          “What do you mean?” Will replied.

          Dean grinned at him before turning left onto the main street. “I don’t know, you’ve always been this rule abiding nice guy. Now I found out your gay, you snuck a guy into your bedroom, and you’re having premarital sex.” Dean chucked. “Don’t get me wrong dude, I so god-damned proud. I just kinda feel like I always thought my you were Clark Kent and I just found out your really superman.”

          Will laughed at the analogy. If Dean only knew the truth about Will being a demigod and how close he was to the truth he would probably laugh too. “I promise I can’t fly.” Will replied.

         “You better not be able to!” Dean replied seriously. “Cause if I find out you have been keeping any more secrets from me I am going to be seriously pissed off.”

          Will swallowed his guilt. With most people Will was fine with the lies he had to tell. The secrets he had to keep because he was a demigod. With Dean it was actually hard. They had grown up together and they were so close in age they were more like brothers then cousins. “No more secrets.” Will lied before quickly changing the topic. “And I didn’t snick some guy into my bedroom. I snuck my boyfriend into my bedroom, and to be honest Nico did most of the sneaking.”

          “Yeah, and that’s another thing we’re going to talk about.” Dean proclaimed as he came to a hard stop at a red light. Dean might have been the worse driver in history, Will thought for not the first time. “He was not what I expected.”

          “What were you expecting?” Will questioned trying to keep the annoyance he was feeling out of his voice. He and Nico got the whole “odd couple” thing a lot, so to him the topic had lost the little charm it had once had.

          “I don’t know” Dean admitted with a shrug. “Some like us I guess.” He gave Will a look “Like an athlete.”

          Will smirked, clearly Dean had never seen Nico welding a sword. “Nico’s pretty athletic” he replied.

         “Dude, you know what I mean!” Dean exclaimed, gunning through the now green light. “I was expecting a soccer player, maybe rugby.” he explained. Will didn’t exactly see how that was a "type" but didn’t point that out. “Like the stereotypical high school athlete. I was not expecting a smoldering pretty boy who could make a straight guy question his sexuality.”

         “I don’t know if we should talk about you being potentially bisexual,” Will questioned. “Or if I should hit you for checking out my boyfriend.”

          “Dude, I’m straight. Calm yourself.” Dean proclaimed before taking his eyes off the road and looked directly at Will. “I mean are you sure your even really gay. Maybe your bi with a thing for pretty boys with big anime eyes.”

          Will busted out laughing “No, I’m definitely gay.” He managed though the laughter.

          “Alright, well I didn’t realize you were so into Twilight.” Dean commented.  

          “What?” Will asked confused as he pushing a tear out of his eye.

          “You know the Twilight Saga. Those stupid books that all the girls were into a year ago about the girl who falls in love with a vampire and mildly creepy romance ensues.”

          “Yeah, thanks for that, I know what the Twilight Saga is.” Will replied “I just don’t get why your bringing it up now.”

          “Well you have a mysterious boyfriend, that is pale and judging by the state of your neck he is clearly vampire.” Dean explained with a grin.

          Will leaned over and checked his neck in the side mirror. A cluster of three dark love bites marred the left side of his neck. “That bad?” He questioned concerned.

          “You tell me.” Dean snickered “Are you feeling faint? I know that can be a symptom of blood loss.”

           Will grinned “What can I tell you, Nico really good at sucking things.”

           Dean proceeded to choke on his own saliva and almost rear-ended the car stopped in front of him. “Dude! That was so wildly inappropriate!” He laughed “I’m so fucking proud, but your screwed and not in the fun way when Aunt Naomi sees those.”

           “Don’t worry, they’ll fade by the time I get home after practice and coffee.” Will shrugged. “I’m a quick healer.” he pointed out truthfully. If his nature child-of-Apollo-healing-ability failed him he had a square of Ambrosia in his locker.

           “If you say so” Dean shrugged. They drove in silent for a few blocks. Will was ready to turn on the radio when Dean spoke up again. “So I’ve been curious about something, and I hope you don’t mind me asking.”

           Will tensed and eyed his cousin cautiously. “Um okay?” he replied.

           “How do you……decide?” Dean asked. Will noticed how for the first time in his life Dean was carefully keeping his eyes on the road.

           “Decide what?” Will asked.

           “You know, how do you decide” Dean huffed “Like when you have sex with another guy-”

           “Dude, I’ve only been with the one guy.” Will corrected.

           “Fine, when you two have sex.” Dean continued “How do you decide….like who’s the girl?”

           “Dean, it’s gay sex.” Will replied plainly “There’s no girls involved.”

           “You’re being purposefully difficult, aren’t you?” Dean sighed “You know what I mean.”

           “You’re asking how me and Nico decide who’s getting penetrated and who’s doing the penetrating?” Will clarified.

           “Yes!” Dean exclaimed “Holy fuck you really made me work for that.”  

           Will blinked at him “We flip a coin for it.” he replied sarcastically.

           “None of my fucking business?” Dean questioned.

           Will stared at his cousin like he was an idiot “Yes, it’s none of your business!”

           “Right, that’s fair” Dean nodded “So…….have you ever-”

           “You are not seriously going to ask me if I’ve ever bottomed?” Will asked cutting Dean off quickly.

           “Bottomed?” Dean questioned confused.

           “Been penetrated” Will explained exasperated.

           “Another inappropriate question?” Dean asked.

           “Yes!” Will replied. He was starting to understand how Nico felt when Percy asked him about sex.

           “Dude!” Dean chuckled. “You pretty much joked about your boyfriend giving you blow jobs like three minutes ago.”  

           “Alright” Will decided to rethink the situation “Do you really want to know?”

           Dean seemed to mull that over for a minute before replying. “No, it would be weird, you’re like my little brother.” Dean admitted. Damn, Will thought, now he kind of understood where Jason was coming from.

           “That’s what I thought.” Will relaxed now that that topic had been resolved.

           “Yeah, that’s something for you to keep in mind when we go camping” Dean pointed out cheerfully. “So when you two are going at it in your tent I expect it to keep it down.”

           Will rolled his eyes “First, Nico is a bit of a screamer so keeping it down is not usually an option.” Will pointed out before adding “but you don’t have to worry about that because  _I’m not going camping_.”

           “Oh come on!” Dean whined “Your boy toy said he’d come!” he shot Will a knowing look “and I bet you could get him to cum a few more times while out in the woods, if you know what I mean?”

           Alright, that was actually a tempting thought, he had always wanted to have sex outside. Still, it wasn’t enough to outweigh the memory of what happened last time. “I’m not going camping.” He insisted.

           “This is about last time, isn’t it?” Dean asked. He didn’t wait for Will to answer before speaking again. “Dude, that was years ago! And honestly what are the chances of that happening again?” Dean let out a laugh at the absurdity of the thought. “I mean how often does a crazy homeless man wonder into the woods and attacks people.”

           If only that was what happened Will thought. The “homeless man” had actually been a monster with a hunger for demigod. “You broke your arm.” Will reminded. Will had just barely fought the monster off, it was a miracle they were alive.

           “Barely” Dean waved it off like it was nothing “I had to wear a soft cast for two weeks, it was no big deal.”

           That wasn’t the truth either, although Will was glad Dean remember it that way. It had been a compound fracture. Will could still remember seeing Dean’s bone poking out of his skin. It was the first time he had ever seen anything like that. Will hadn’t understood his healing abilities as well back then but he had managed to improve Dean’s condition. That was the moment Will had realized he wanted to be a doctor.

           When he had told his mom what had happened, what had really happened, she had freaked. She thought Will healing the neighborhood cat a few days earlier had somehow attracted the monster. He tried to get her to see reason, to see his healing abilities as a gift like he did, but she just saw it as a curse. She banded it completely, told him to never use his abilities again and Will had left. It had taken one stole credit card, a stolen car, hiding on the back of a chicken truck for Will to make it to camp Half Blood.

           “I’m not going camping.” Will insisted firmly.

           “You say that now but I think me and your boy toy can talk you into it.” Dean replied confidently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter turned into something so different then what I had intended but I love it.


	8. Caught Red Handed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Wednesday,
> 
> Alright I wouldn't go that far but I do like this part of the day- New chapter post.
> 
> So this is another Will chapter taking place after the events of chapter 8. It's still the same day Nico shadow traveled back to New York. 
> 
> Minor warning for language: There is some cursing in there
> 
> So enjoy some more of Will's amusing friends (and Felix being kind of a dick)

           “I hate running!” Felix hissed as he used his shoulder and his body weight to push open the door to the locker room. Behind him Wash, Watts and Dean followed shuffling their feet and groaning.

           Will brought up the rear with a grin plastered across his face. Normally, he would agree with the sentiments of his teammates, even Felix, running sucked. Today, however, Will couldn’t care less. After all, not only were he and Nico speaking again but they had amazing sex the night before. Even though they were rudely interrupted, Will couldn't deny the foreplay this morning had been pretty hot too. If the price that had to be paid for that was running some laps Will was alright with that.

           As they came to their row of lockers Will shot Felix a grin. “Maybe you should take up a different sport then.” He suggested teasingly.

           “Fuck you Solace!” Felix hissed “You know what I mean.” The other boy pulled his locker open roughly and glared at its contents. “I signed up to play soccer, not run laps at infinitum so you could get laid.” Felix looked around his locker door at Will with clear annoyance. “And stop grinning like an idiot.” In response Will could only grin more brightly.

           “I don’t think he actually got laid.” Dean pointed out. Will figured that was Dean’s way of coming to his defense. Since Dean was a year older, sometimes he got it in his head that he should act like Will’s protector. He was horrible at it but Will still appreciated the effort. “From what I saw they got interrupted before they got to the main event.”

           Will’s grin faltered slightly. Dean wasn’t wrong, Will had literally been mere minutes away from….  _No_ , Will thought before that train of thought got out of hand. Will looked at his cousin with a sarcastic smile “Yeah, thanks for that by the way.”

           “Again, how was I supposed to know?” Dean replied unapologetically “Next time put a sock on the door or something.”

           “Great! Your saying we just ran for 45 minutes straight because you were late for practice and you didn’t even get laid!” Felix groaned as he started tearing different articles of clothing out of his locker. “So it was all for nothing.  _Awesome._ ”

           “Hey man I was trying, as we’re already established Dean cocked blocked me.” The son of Apollo defended. He pulled open his own locker and looked over its contents. “But yeah we didn’t have sex….” Will admitted. The grin that broke out after that just couldn’t be helped as he clarified “this morning.”

           “Dude,” Wash poked his head from behind his own locker’s door. “Does that mean last night?”

           “I got home to find my boyfriend hiding out in my bedroom.” Will explained smiling at the memory. “What do you think?”

           “Nice.” Wash nodded with approval before returning to changing out of his sweat soaked practice uniform.

           Watts, who’s locker is the closest to Will’s offers his hand for a high five which Will gladly takes. After the show of approval Watts comments. “Make-up sex almost makes the fighting worth it, doesn’t it?”

           “It really does.” Will agreed whole heartedly. He and Nico really didn’t fight often. Still, on the rare occasions they did, the make-up sex was always phenomenal.

           “You know I preferred when you were a whiny love-sick puppy.” Felix grumbled as he tugged on his wrinkled t-shirt. “This is just insufferable.”

           “Don’t mind him.” Wash declared poking his head out from behind his locker again and jutting his thumb out to point at Felix. “He’s just jealous because he’s single and therefore isn’t getting any.”

           "Just because I'm not tied down doesn't mean I'm not getting any" Felix defended. Will turned his attention to the contents of his locker so Felix wouldn't see him roll his eyes. Objectively speaking, Felix was physically attractive but his personality really left something to be desired, at least in Will's opinion. Will doubted Felix had managed to charm any of the girls at school into doing anything physical.

           “Hey, you should show us single guys some sympathy.” Dean commented defensively. Somewhere in the back of Will’s mind he made note that he really needed to help his cousin find a girlfriend. Unlike Felix, his cousin was an awesome person and deserved an awesome girlfriend. Too bad Nora and Ruby didn't have any single friends to set him up with. 

           “You could very easily be us one day.” Dean reminding. He clearly made sure to look Will, Wash, and Watts in the eyes with a warning expression. It was like he was expecting them to take his singlehood as a cautionary tale. Will bite back a laugh, he really wasn’t worried about being single…..well ever again if he had anything to say about it.

           Dean made a show of nudging Felix’s shoulder before commenting. “If it helps, Will’s going to be grounded to college when Aunt Naomi sees the hickeys on his neck.”

           Felix thought about it for a few seconds before nodding with clear satisfaction. “Yeah,, that actually does help.”

           Reflexively, Will brought a hand up to the side of his neck and rubbed there like he would be able to feel the love bites. He couldn’t, not on himself unfortunately. Not for the first time in his life, Will thought about how stupid it was he could heal other people with his touch but not himself. “Are they still that noticeable?” Will asked, concern starting to creep in around the edges of his rosy disposition.

           “They’re a lot better” Dean stated. His words sounded optimistic but his face looked anything but. He added “But it still looks like Dracula feasted on your neck.”

           Will groaned. He hated Dean's phrasing for a lot of reasons. The son of Apollo didn’t really appreciate the Dracula crack and he doubted Nico would either. Also, he had heard the comparison too many time from his half-brother, Austin, over the summer. It was no secret that once he and Nico became sexually active, they were quite active. At first Will had tried to hide the various marks. But it was a challenge when he shared a cabin with twenty siblings so he gave up quickly. That’s when the vampire jokes started anytime he had a hickey.

           The really funny thing was Nico didn’t really leave hickeys all that often. He had left serious claw marks down Will’s back on more than one occasion but rarely hickeys. Will, on the other hand, almost always left a few love bites on Nico’s pale skin. He typically left them somewhere Nico could cover with his clothes. He had a thing about Nico’s hipbones. He usually left a cluster around one of the sharp protrusions. Either there or Nico’s sensitive inner thighs. Gods, Nico’s thighs….. Will forced the thought of Nico’s perfect thighs before he had a problem his thin shorts couldn’t hide. 

          He walked over to the row of sinks near his locker and turned his head to examine his neck in the dingy mirror. The hickeys were still there, they had faded drastically, but they were still clearly hickeys. Gods damn it, Will hissed internally. 

           Will poked the reddened area experimentally. “I told Nico I was going to have a hard time explaining a bunch of hickeys, but I swear that just egged him on.” Will commented more to himself then others.

           “He was just marking his territory.” Wash commented jokingly “You know, making sure everyone knows your taken.”

           Will turned to say something about how he and Nico weren’t dogs in heat but Dean’s snickering cut him off. “Dude, I don’t think he’s worried about that.” Dean commented with amusement. “The ten in the relationship doesn’t worry about the eight stepping out.”

           “Hey!” Will exclaimed offended although he wasn’t sure exactly why. Maybe because Dean had just called Nico a ten, as in a perfect ten. Of course, Will agreed but he didn’t like other people pointing it out. That meant they were looking, and Nico was for Will's eyes only. On the other hand, maybe he was offended because Dean had called him an eight. He was a son of Apollo for gods sake! He was more than an eight.

           “What? Eight is respectable.” Dean replied. “Dude you’re totally a normal guy ten. I just had to put things in perspective here ‘cause your boy toy is definitely more than a normal guy ten.”

           The son of Apollo gave that information some thought. He eyed his cousin critically. “Are you sure you’re not bi?” Will questioned skeptically.

           “Yes” Dean replied “and related to that topic I’ve been thinking does the boy toy have a sister? Anyone that good looking would have to have good looking siblings. Maybe you could set me up.”

           “He has a half-sister.” Will replied.

           “Is she hot? Dean asked hopefully.

           “Gay” Will reminded, pointing to his own chest before adding. “And I think her boyfriend Frank thinks she’s pretty hot.”

           “Fuck” Dean hissed with disappointment.

           “So now that we covered that.” Will directed the conversation to his most immediate needs. “Who wants to get coffee?” He asked even though he didn’t actually drink coffee.

           “Ow, I don’t know.” Watts stated reluctantly.

           Wash sucked in a sharp breath before agreeing with his friend “I’m kind of tired.”

           “Yeah, probably from all the fucking running” Felix grumbled under his breath.

           “Come on!” Will pleaded “I’ve got to avoid my house until these fade.” He pointed at the hickeys to emphasize his point.

           “What are you going to do?” Felix questioned doubtfully “Not got home for the next week?”

           Will grinned. That might have been the case if he was a mortal or even a demigod if they weren’t a child of Apollo. Gods knows some of Nico’s wounds seemed to take forever to heal. Although Will recognized that a lot of that had to do with neglect more than anything else. But Will was a demigod child of Apollo with access to Ambrosia. “Just need a couple of hours.”

           Felix looked at Will like he wanted to argue. Will was ready to give one of his typical vague lies but Dean jumped in before he could. “I know it sounds crazy but it’s the truth.” Dean assured far more convincingly then Will could have ever managed. “Will’s always healed crazy fast.” Dean turned to Will with a regretful expression “And sorry man but I’m kind of beat.”

           “Come on,” Will whined “you can try to hit on Molly, work on not being single.” He offered. His cousin still didn’t look sold. Will sighed “I’ll pay.”

           “Oh, if you’re paying I’m in.” Dean agreed happily.

           “That’s what I figured” Will commented. His cousin couldn’t be very predictable.

           “Yeah, I guess I could go for coffee.” Wash admitted.

           “Or like a scone” Watts added.

           Will would have laughed if the reaction hadn’t been so predictable it was a little sad. He changed out of his sweaty uniform, tossing it in his gym bag. Before they headed out, the son of Apollo snuck a small chuck of Ambrosia from locker and popped it in his mouth.

           They were at the front door to the building. Will’s hand had actually been on the push bar when his mother of all people appeared from around a corner. “Mom?” Will exclaimed. He shifted the strap of his gym bag in an attempt to cover the marks on his neck. It was an awkward position but he hoped she wouldn’t notice.

           “There you are hon, I just had to drop off some papers figured I’d offer you a ride home.” She explained.

           “That’s alright, we were going to get a bite to eat.” Will explained gesturing half-heartedly toward the others. He shifted the strap of his bag further up his shoulder so it was more on his neck than anywhere else.

           His mother eyed him critically for a second and Will thought he was caught. “Have you finished that paper you still owe?”

           “Almost” Will replied. If almost meant that he was no closer to being finished then he had been the night before, then it was the truth.

           “Alright then.” Naomi nodded her expression was still critical. She pointed at the spot where Will was holding his bag awkwardly. “What’s going on with your neck?”

           “What? Nothing” Will replied, his voice had come out an octave or two higher than usual.

           “Nonsense, your holding your bag….” His mother reached out and tugged the strap of his bag down exposing Will marked throat. Anger burned in his mother’s eyes as she asked. “What are those?”

           Will rubbed his neck absently. He tried to think of a reasonable lie, but his mind was a complete blank. “Um, I got hit with a soccer ball?” Will didn’t understand why it had come out as a question.

           “Are those  _hickeys_?” His mother questioned.

           “Ow yeah” Felix laughed “I’m out” He declared as he pushed past Will and out the door.

           “See ya Will” Watts agreed. He gave Will a small wave before following Felix out the door.

           “Yeah, see ya.” Wash gave Will a sympathetic look before slipping past him and out the door.

           “Good luck.” Dean offered giving Will’s shoulder a reassuring pat before smiling at Naomi. “Bye Aunt Naomi”

           With his friends gone Will was left alone in the mostly empty school with his mother. “Mom, it’s not…” Will began but when his mother glared at him his mouth snapped shut.

           “My classroom right now young man!” She ordered pointing down the hall that lead to her room.

           Will glanced down the hall reluctantly. He didn’t want to have a conversation with his mom about this at all, but he especially not in school. Even if the school was practically empty because it was a weekend, it was not the ideal location. “Mom” He whined praying for sympathy.

           “Right  _NOW_!” His mother reiterated harshly.

           Will knew when he was beat, and in that moment he was definitely beat. With heavy feet, Will walked down the hall to his mother’s classroom. He tossed his gym bag on the floor with more force then was probably necessary. He slumped in the chair that was stationed by his mother’s desk. Once she took a took a seat Will started talking his voice more pleading then intended. “Mom I can explain, I swear!”

           “William Alexander Solace, if you try to tell me you got hit by a soccer ball I swear you’ll be grounded until the end of time.” his mother stated firmly.

           “Um” Will’s mind was still a complete blank. Why couldn’t he come up with an acceptable lie, he wondered.

           “Are those hickeys?” Naomi asked. Her voice was stern, Will recognized it as her ‘teacher voice’. He hated when he was on the receiving end of that voice because he knew he had no choice but give up.

           Will dropped his head in resignation. “Yes, ma’am.” he muttered begrudgingly.

           “How are there _hickeys_  on your  _neck_?” She questioned.

           Will grinned even though he knew it wasn’t a good idea. “The usual way.” He replied.

           “Do not get sassy with me young man!” His mother replied. At least her teacher voice was gone. “Why are there hickeys on your neck?”

          “Um” Will tried to stall. There had to be a lie for this situation. Will knew there was no way he was getting out of this without being in some sort of trouble. Still, he figured if he said just the right thing to minimize the damage.

           His mother reached across the desk and placed a hand on his forearm. Her expression went from stern to comforting. “Honey, I know you and Nico had a fight.” she began “And sometimes when your upset something can seem like a good idea….”

           When Will realized what his mother was thinking, that he had actually cheated on Nico he had to interrupt. “Whoa, whoa, whoa” He cut her off, waving his hands in front of himself as he did so. “It’s nothing like that.”

           “You have hickeys on your neck.” His mother reminded dryly “What else could it be like?”

           Will sighed before he admitted “Nico kind of snuck into my room last night.”

           Naomi blinked at him for a moment before asking “Doesn’t he stay at camp?”

           “Yeah but… well his mother left him plenty of money.” Will started glad his brain had decided to start functioning. The first part was the truth although Nico didn’t like to talk about it but the second part was going to have to be a lie. “so he flew to Tennessee and snuck into my room so we could talk.”

           “Let me get this straight.” She started and if her heated expression was any indication Will was in serious trouble. “Your boyfriend, who I- YOUR MOTHER, has never met snuck into your bedroom last night.” She began “Instead of introducing him to me- YOUR MOTHER, you hid him in your bedroom?”

           “Well, yeah” Will shrugged feeling strangely guilty. “I didn’t think you’d approve.”

           “Of you sneaking a boy into your bedroom?” She asked rhetorically “I’m your mother, of course I don’t approve!” She answered her own question. “But the boy flew all the way from New York to see you, which may be the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. I certainly wouldn’t have kicked him out on to the street.” She assured “I mean where did the poor boy sleep last night?”

           Will’s cheeks burned. He figured his mother had already realized Nico had spent the night. He couldn’t actually answer the question. “Um?”

           Naomi sighed and pinched her nose. “That was an incredibly dense question.” He declared before dropping her hand from her nose. “Of course he stayed in your room hence the hickeys.”

           Oh dear gods! Will thought this might the most horrifying moment of his life. Maybe things would be mildly less bad if she didn’t think they had sex. “Mom we didn’t….” Will began to deny.

           “William Alexander Solace” Naomi interrupted using the ultimate parenting weapon, Will’s middle name, for the second time. “Do you think I’m stupid?”

           Her tone made it clear, anything more than a simple and straight answer would not be appreciated. He dropped his head and muttered his reply. “No ma’am.”

           “Do you think I was never a teenager?” His mother followed up.

           Will knew this was leading nowhere good but didn’t see a way out. “No ma’am”

           “Then don’t lie to my face and tell me you didn’t have sex.” She commanded.

           Will sputtered. He wanted to argue but didn’t see a way he could possible come up on top. “Yes ma’am”

           His mother sighed heavily and brought her hands up to rub at her temples. “I’m so glad I don’t have to worry about you getting someone pregnant.” She declared.

           “Mom!” Will protested as he felt his cheek redden.

           “Let me have my silver lining William.” She retorted sharply “It’s what I need to focus on to not panic over my teenage son having sex.”

           “Right” Will agreed before adding enthusiastically. “Yeah, you definitely don’t have to worry about me getting anyone pregnant.” Naomi sighed and continued to rub her temples in slow circles. Will knew he should probably just stay quiet. Still, he couldn’t stop himself from broaching the question that had been swimming around in his mind. “So since you’re not freaking out, does that mean I’m not grounded?”

           “Oh no, you’re still grounded.” His mother explained. “Me not freaking out means you have a chance of not being grounded sometime in the next decade.”

           “Right,” Will agreed resigned. “I guess that’s fair.”

           “And Will,” His mother started with a sincere expression “the next time you sneak a boy into your room, I want to meet him first.”

           “But mom that makes no….” Will began to argue but quickly thought better of it. “Right, yeah I can do that.”

           “That’s what I thought” His mother nodded approvingly “Get your stuff so we can go, you have homework to do.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The whole running as a punishment thing- the coach of my high school soccer team did actually do that, I remember all the guys on the team complaining about it. So the idea is based in reality.
> 
> I know, I know Naomi is a big old ball of contradictions, but aren't we all.


	9. Brawl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I sat here enjoying my coffee on this lovely morning I realized that since I don't have to work today (thank you Thanksgiving) I can post this chapter early. 
> 
> So this chapter is what was going on at Sally Jackson's apartment when Percy called Annabeth and told her Nico was an underwear model.
> 
> So I know this chapter is on the short side (at least compared to what I have been posting lately) and action sequences are not my specialty so if this chapter isn't my best I apologize.
> 
> For those of you who follow me on tumblr know there are long chapters in the future (Normal Lives Chapter 23 = 11084 words, and Chapter 24 = 12073 words) so patience :) 
> 
> Until then enjoy this little bit of fun.

           Nico watched in horror as he watched Percy and Jason put the pieces together. The other two demigods gasped in unison.  _Maybe they hadn’t actually figured it out_ , Nico hoped. It seemed possible, the other two boys could be exceedingly dense about somethings.

           Percy pointed at Nico and the son of Hades wasn’t sure if it was an accusation or a physical manifestation of Percy's excitement. “Oh! My! Gods!” The other brunet exclaimed. Nico glared and pushed himself further down in his chair.

            “Nico are you….?” Jason began to ask. At least the son of Jupiter had the decency to sound stunned and not giddy.

            “A model?” Percy finished Jason’s thought, laughter clear in his voice.

            Nico crossed his arms over his chest and slumped even further down in his chair. “I hate you both.” he muttered in response as he avoided any direct eye contact.

            Percy busted into a loud fit of laughter.  _Too bad he hadn’t been eating a cookie_ , Nico thought darkly,  _he could have choked on it_. “Oh my gods, you’re a model!” The son of Poseidon managed to choke out before gasping for breath. “That’s just …. I can’t!”

           “Percy, no teasing” Sally warned affectionately. She reacted over and patted Nico softly on the cheek. From anyone else the gesture would have been unwelcome and unappreciated but from Sally Jackson it was almost comforting. “Nico, you have classically beautiful features, it’s no surprise.”

           Nico shifted uncomfortably in his seat before grumbling “Thank you.”

           “Hey!” Percy protested with his typical goofy grin. “What about me?”

           “You’re very attractive sweetie” She reassured patting his hand absently. Percy nodded with approval and jutted his chin upward in pride. Nico rolled his eyes at Percy’s ridiculous display.

           “What does Will think about this?” Jason asked in a serious tone. Leave it to the Roman, Nico thought, to bring up the one thing Nico was trying hard not to think about.

           The son of Hades cursed himself. He knew he should have told Will about the photo shot the night before. Things had been going so well, Nico just couldn’t bring himself to ruin the moment. He had told himself he would just tell Will in the morning but that hadn’t happened. Now here he was in the exact situation he didn’t want to be in. He stared back at Jason hoping his dark expression conveyed his seriousness. “I haven’t told him yet,” he admitted “and you can’t tell him.”

            Percy seemed to accept the statement without much thought but Jason looked like he wanted protest. That was pretty much the reaction Nico had expected form his two friend. Still, he worried the son of Jupiter would be problematic. He wished Jason and Will hadn’t bonded over the summer then he wouldn’t have to worry about Jason spilling his secret. Why did Will have to catch Jason watching gay porn?

           Nico was honestly relieved when Percy started talking because it meant Jason couldn’t argue. At least, he was, until he actually processed what Percy was saying. “Dude, so what were you modeling?” The son of Poseidon asked curiously “I don’t even know what Mitchell’s dad designs”

             _No_ , Nico thought as he felt panic rise from deep within him. He could not tell Percy Jackson he had modeled men’s underwear, he would never live it down. And Jason would do the thing where he got stupidly and annoyingly overprotective.  _No_ , Nico thought, he had to get the attention off himself. He looked over each person in the room before deciding his best course of action. He turned toward Ms. Jackson and informed “Percy and Annabeth are engaged.”

            Success, Nico thought as Sally gasped and immediately turned her attention to Percy. The son of Poseidon attempted to glare at him, but it really wasn’t his talent. “Dude, not cool!” Percy protested. Nico everting his eyes and the other boy sighed and looked toward his mother. “Mom I was going to tell you…” Percy began to explain but stopped abruptly when Sally pulled him into a big hug.

            Percy was gasping for air when his mother finally released him. “Well, it’s about time!” Sally declared happily “That girl is most of the reason you’re still alive and have all your limbs. I feel better about you living in California already knowing you two are engaged.”

            Nico tried to contain his laughter as Percy gapped at his mother. He managed until Jason joked about how Percy looked like a goldfish and Nico couldn’t hold it in any longer. The son of Hades laughed so hard he didn’t noticed how Percy focused his attention on him. 

           “You modeled underwear, didn’t you?” Percy asked darkly.

            Nico tried to keep his features neutral but he panicked and he was sure it read on his face. He felt all the blood drain and his jaw drop.  _How did Percy know_ , he wondered. The son of Hades had to get the attention off himself again, and he needed it to stay off him this time. Once again he turned to Percy’s mother and informed. “Percy and Annabeth are living together.”

            “Bro!” Percy protested. Nico found the look of shock and disapproval the other demigod gave him amusing. “So not cool.” Percy hissed before looking around the kitchen absently. “Where’s Leo? I could use some duct tape.”

            “Percy!” Sally chided.

            “Dude” Jason looked at Nico with concern. “You didn’t actually model underwear, did you?”

            “Um….” Nico was running out of distractions. How did that not work, he wondered. Ms. Jackson didn’t even seem to care that Percy and Annabeth were living together before they were married. He could always say something about how they were having pre-marital sex but he thought that was implied with them living together. Plus, even he had his limits and that seemed like it would be taking things too far. And it wasn’t like Nico could say anything about anyone having pre-marital sex.

            “OH my GODS!” Percy exclaimed bouncing in his seat with excitement “I was  _joking_  but this is better! You actually did it, you modeled underwear!” The son of Poseidon looked around the room at his mother and Jason “Is today my birthday? It feels my birthday?”

            “I hate you!” Nico declared slouching in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest.

            “Dude, you modeled underwear!” Percy smacked the table for emphasis “I can’t believe it!”

            “Don’t tease!” Sally declared “I’m going to go call my future daughter-in-law.” she informed “You boys play nice.” Nico wanted to beg Ms. Jackson to please gods stay but she was already walking away. 

            Looking back at the other two demigods, Nico found Percy grinning at him like an idiot and Jason looking at him concerned. Nico wasn’t sure which was worse and hoped that they would both just let it go.

            No such luck, Jason spoke “You really modeled underwear?” He asked cautiously.

            The son of Hades huffed and rolled his eyes at Jason’s concern. “It’s not as weird as it sounds, okay?”

            “Oh yeah, it’s definitely my birthday” Percy snickered excitedly. Nico gave smacking the dark-haired boy upside the head some serious thought. “Hey! Will can finally have his pictures!”

            Jason shot Percy a confused look “What are you talking about?”

          “Oh Will asked Nico for naked pictures over the summer for when he went back to Tennessee.” Percy informed like it was nothing, much to Nico’s horror. Why he had even told Percy of all people about that was beyond him.

            “Oh gods!” Jason protested. The son of Jupiter brought his hands to his ears like he hoped by covering them he could unhear what Percy had just said.

            “Will isn’t going to find out” Nico hissed “No one is. They probably won’t even use my photos.” The son of Hades tried to reason. After all, Mitchell had said there was a chance his shots wouldn’t get used in the ad campaign although he hadn’t sounded very convincing as he said it. Nico could still hope.

            “Bro you’re an underwear model, no way people aren’t finding out.” Percy declared.

            “And you can’t not tell Will.” Jason reasoned.

            “Hey, his birthday’s coming up, right?” Percy asked although he didn’t wait for Nico to reply before turning to Jason. “We can just save the ads and mail them to Will as a birthday gift.”

            “I really do hate you” Nico declared flatly. This was actually going worse than Nico had imagined it would go. He didn't see how that was even possible but here he was all the same.

            “No you don’t.” Percy dismissed. An excited glint sparked in his green eyes and Nico’s stomach dropped with dread. “I’ve got to tell Annabeth about this!” Percy declared. The oldest boy jumped up from his seat and ran over to where his mother was speaking on the phone.

            “NO!” Nico protested chasing after the son of Poseidon.

            “Guys” Jason called after them likely trying to play the voice of reason.

            Percy snatched the telephone from his mother’s hand and Sally issued a surprised squeal. Percy panted into the receiver. “Annabeth you’re never going to believe this! Nico’s a un-”

           Nico made it just in time. He clamped one hand over Percy’s mouth. He did his best to ignore the disgusting feeling of Percy’s warm mouth on his hand as the son of Poseidon continued to talk. With his other hand, Nico tried to grab the phone from Percy but the height difference was making things exceedingly difficult.

           They struggled as Percy tried to slip from his grasp and Nico was trying with all his might to stop him. They stumbled toward the living room as they fought for dominance. As Nico’s hip hit the back of the couch Percy proceeded to lick the smaller boy's palm. Nico pulled his hand back reflexively “Gross!” He hissed. 

           Percy grinned in triumph as he went to speak into the phone. “Nico’s a-” 

           Thinking on his feet Nico picked up a throw pillow off the couch and threw it hard at Percy’s face. He was no child of Apollo but his aim wasn’t bad, the pillow found its target with a  _hmphf_. 

           “model!” Percy completed the most offensive word in the sentence having been muffled by the pillow's impact. The son of Poseidon rubbed at his reddened face.

           Jason tried to step between them in order to keep the peace. “Guys, now is not …”

           The rest of what Jason had to say was lost. Nico lunged forward in an attempt to tackle the phone out of Percy’s hands. The son of Poseidon side-stepped the advance before darting further into the living room of the apartment. Nico skidded to a stop before turning to correct course. Percy swerved around the couch. Nico only a few steps behind catapulted himself over it in an attempt to close the distance in time.

           “Nico’s an UNDERWEAR model!” Percy shouted right before Nico hit him with the full force of his weight. They both went crashing to the floor with a loud thud and the phone fell from Percy’s hand. There were a few moments were the two continued to struggle with one another before they came to their senses and both dashed for the phone.

           Percy almost managed to beat Nico to it but one well-placed kick took care of that. The son of Hades snatched the phone of the floor and stumbled backward. He was trying to put distance between himself and Percy while Percy continued to work to get up from the floor.

           “Not cool bro.” Percy panted at him as he wobbled to get up from his hands and knees. “Not cool.”

           Still trying to catch his breath Nico spoke into the phone all the while a wary eye kept on the son of Poseidon. “No Annabeth” he began. Percy was now on his feet and Nico could tell his next move just by Percy’s stance. That was the benefit of all the time they spent sparing together. Nico knew Percy’s fighting style like the back of his hand. Nico went to back away further but Sally Jackson’s apartment was on the small side. He wasn't left with much room to maneuver. “That would make no sen…..”

            This time it was Percy who tackled Nico to the ground knocking the breath out of him in the process. Nico managed to keep the phone is his grasp, just barely. Percy, however, hadn't given up. He was practically climbing on top of Nico in an attempt to grab the receiver from Nico's extended hand. 

           “Jackson, get off!” Nico hissed “You're heavy!”

           “Dude, I can’t weigh more then Will.” Percy snickered. For that comment Nico tried to punch Percy in the ribs. They were so close together he couldn’t get any real force behind the blow. Still, Percy let out a humphf sound when Nico’s fist made contact. 

           Jason decided to try to intervene by trying to grab the phone from Nico and Percy’s hands. That, of course, was probably the worst idea ever. Nico had no idea how it happened but Jason somehow ended up on the floor struggling for the phone with he and Percy. “Will you both just let go already!” Jason ordered.

           “Who asked for your help Grace!” Percy retorted.

           “I swear to every god on Mount Olympus I am going to stab you both the first chance I get.” Nico hissed.

           “Boys!” Sally exclaimed disapprovingly “No fighting in the house.”

           Nico and Jason both hesitated at the sound of Ms. Jackson’s disapproval. Percy on the other hand had no such problem. He took advantage of the other two demigod’s distraction and grabbed the phone. He climbed to his feet and stumbled away before Nico could hook a hand around Percy’s ankle to stop him. “All true” The son of Poseidon panted “Underwear model….”

           Nico glared at Percy with all the heat he could muster as he climbed to his feet. Brute force just wasn’t going to cut it he realized. Nico focused and all the lights in the apartment began to dim.

           “Hey, no summoning zombies in my mom’s apartment!” Percy hissed. A moment later Percy hung up the phone and brought on of his hands to his side where Nico had hit him early. “Dude, I think you bruised one of my ribs.”

           “I hate you!” Nico hissed and stumped back toward the kitchen to pout.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So for all of you that read and comment thank you, I love you all.
> 
> For those of you in the U.S.A. Have a happy Thanksgiving!
> 
> For everyone else, stay awesome.


	10. Old Fashioned Ideas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can't believe it's Wednesday already (Spent half the day thinking it was Tuesday).
> 
> This chapter is the iris message to Nico from Hazel and Reyna found out about him modeling.
> 
> I'm not really in love with this chapter so I apologize.

           Nico was sitting at one end of bed while Jason sat at the other. It was after dinner and somehow the son of Jupiter had invited himself over to the Hades cabin to hang out. Nico did his best to hide his annoyance. It wasn’t that he didn’t like hanging out with Jason, he did. It was just that unlike Percy, or Jason, or even Will, Nico didn’t constantly crave social interactions. Nico liked his alone time. Still, Nico tried to be social, with Jason in California for the school year he did miss having his friend around. So, he sat at one end of his bunk talking about nothing of any real importance. 

           “The infirmary has been keeping me busy. I know it's weird, but at least the infirmary will be in an acceptable condition for Will comes to visit.” He explained. It was true enough, the infirmary was in the same condition it had been in when Will had left. That was probably why Nico had started helping out in the infirmary in the first place. After a while he started to find the work rewarding. As much as Nico may not want to admit it, the company wasn’t bad either. “And Austin is a bit of a loud mouth but he’s not bad to hang out with.”

           “Right” Jason nodded with understanding although he seemed distracted. The son of Jupiter was quiet for a long moment before the question he had clearly been thinking over for a while. “But underwear modeling?”

           Nico sighed wishing he could say he was surprised. “Jason, seriously?” The son of Hades rolled he eyes with annoyance. “You’re still on this?”

           “How am I not supposed to be still on this?” Jason asked “It’s so….  _unexpected_.”

           Nico could understand that thought. He certainly had never thought he would model at all, let alone model men’s underwear. Still, he didn’t want to make a big deal out of the whole thing. He shrugged casually. “Percy seems over it.”

           “That because Percy has the attention span of a goldfish.” Jason retorted.

           Well, Jason had him there. If Nico was being honest he was sure Percy wasn’t as over it as he was acting. He was certain Percy would bring it up again soon. And if Mr. Bellomi did use Nico's pictures in the ad campaign that would just egg Jackson. 

           Jason was still looking at him like he expected Nico to provide some sort of explanation but he didn’t have one. He looked down as he began to pick at his nails. It was a nervous habit he needed to stop. According to Mitchell, he was destroying his cuticles, whatever  _those_  were. “It’s not as weird as it sounds.” He muttered when the silence became too much.

           Jason sighed “Do you think you’ll keep doing it?” He asked. Nico could tell Jason was trying to sound interested and maybe even supportive. Even though Nico could still hear the concern in Jason's voice he appreciated the effort.

           “I don’t know” Nico admitted “I guess, if Mr. Bellomi asks.” It was strange but in some ways the experience had been a little empowering. Nico would have never thought would be the case but it was. Mr. Bellomi was nice enough which made the whole thing easier. Also, he knew about demigods, so Nico didn’t have to come up with lies to answer awkward questions, like where he got all the scars. And Mitchell had been right when he had said it was easy, Nico really didn’t have to do much more then stand around.

           From the look on his friend’s face, that clearly hadn’t been the answer Jason had expected. Nico figured he was going to question it, like ask Nico if he was  _really_  sure that was something he wanted to do. Jason didn’t, instead he chewed on his lip thoughtfully for a moment. The action made the scar on his lip stand out more than it normally did. After a moment of contemplation Jason asked. “But you’re going to talk to Will about it first, right?”

           Nico groaned inwardly. Why did Jason have to bring up Will? Nico didn’t want to think about telling Will. He knew he had to but he also knew Will would be upset. At the time that was what Nico had wanted but now they weren’t fighting anymore. So now all Nico could think about was how hurt Will would be that Nico didn’t even talk to him about it first. Nico didn’t want to think about that let alone talk about it. He grumbled “Why is this any of your business?”

           “Will and I are friends.” Jason reminded. Like Nico could forget. Why did Will have to walk in on Jason watching porn and have some sort of weird male bonding moment? He wanted Will to get along with his friends, he truly did. Jason and Will, however, had taken it a little further then Nico would have liked some times. Then again, Nico couldn’t exactly complain considering how much time he spent with Austin and Cecil lately. After all they were Will’s friends first. Jason continued. “It would be weird for me if you keep modeling without Will knowing because now I know so it would be like I was lying to him.”

           Nico couldn’t help but roll his eyes at that comment. Jason was just so rule-oriented sometimes, which was a good thing until he took it too far, like now. No one was lying to Will, Nico was just going to wait until the right moment arose to tell him about everything. There was no reason to put Will though undue stress because Nico told him when he wasn’t in the right mind set to hear it. Nico was ready to explain that to Jason when a shimmering mist screen appeared above the bed in the space between them. 

           As the screen became more solid and image began to form in it’s center. The screen slowly revealed his sister and his…. his Reyna. Both girls were dressed in their casual clothes meaning it was their day off from their legion duties. The Romans were clearly unpracticed with using iris messages as they both were standing too close to the screen. It seemed to magnify the concerned and disapproving looks both girls were currently wearing.

           “Hazel” Nico acknowledged having a hard time hiding his surprise at the unexpected IM. “Reyna”

           Hazel’s usually honey gold eyes blazed with a fury at her brother’s acknowledgement. “Nico Anthony di Angelo you did smut!”

           Nico blinked like he had just been slapped and he honestly felt like he had. First, he hadn’t heard anyone else speak his middle name in years, it sounded weird to hear it now. Second, there was no possible way Hazel and Reyna could have found out about the underwear modeling. “Um…” Nico barely managed. his tongue suddenly felt thick and dry and simply refused to function properly.

           From where Jason was sitting he couldn’t see the two girls glaring at the son of Hades from the other end of the iris message. He must have guessed it wasn’t a friendly call from Hazel’s tone. He squirmed toward the edge of the bed. “I should probably go.” Jason declared as he pushed himself to his feet. “It’s getting late I should probably get back to my cabin.” He explained as he made his way toward the door of the Hades cabin at a brisk pace. “Bye Nico. Nice seeing you Reyna and Hazel.” Jason called over his shoulder as he stepped out of the cabin without a look back.

           Nico stared with envy as the door closed behind Jason.  _If only I could escape this conversation_ , Nico thought wistfully. “Hazel …..”

           “I can’t believe my brother did porn!” Hazel declared mournfully. The statement didn’t seem to be directed at Nico or really anyone.

           “Whoa, Hazel I didn’t do porn!” Nico retorted. He glad his tongue had finally decided to let him participate in the conversation. “What are you talking about?”

           “We were with Annabeth when Percy called her earlier.” Reyna explained flatly.

           “Oh” Nico looked away from the screen with sudden embarrassment. In hindsight, Nico realized he should have expected this. Maybe not so soon but eventually. He had been so worried about how Will was going to react he hadn’t given any thought to his sister. Like him, Hazel had grown up in a different time, a far more modest time.

           “I just ….” Hazel sighed. The heat that had colored her expression when she had first messaged drained from her face. Now she just looked  _disappointed_ , it was worse. Nico would have preferred she looked angry again. “Smut Nico? What were you thinking?”

           “It’s not smut.” Nico argued weakly “I just modeled some clothes.”

           “Underwear” Reyna corrected dryly. “Not clothes, underwear.”

           With his sister suggesting he had made pornography, Nico had forgotten the daughter of Bellona. He gave Reyna a surprised and annoyed look. “Well yeah but that doesn’t make it smut.”

           “You let someone take pictures of you in nothing but your underwear. Said pictures are going to be distributed to the country.” Hazel summarized clearly picking her words carefully.

           “Ah yeah?” Nico replied nervously.

           “Nico, in my day we called that smut.” Hazel declared with finality.

           “Hazel” Nico sighed trying to think of a way to change his sister’s mind. He needed her to see it the way he did. “It’s was for an ad campaign for high end underwear so it’s different”

           “I don’t know.” Reyna interjected with a doubtful tone. “Victoria Secret catalogs are to advertise high end underwear. That doesn’t stop teenage boys from using those as smut.”

           “Reyna!” Nico exclaimed looking at his friend with frustration. “You’re not helping!”

           Reyna gave a small shrug. “Not trying to” she admitted “I’m with Hazel on this.”

           “It’s really not that big of a deal.” Nico defended.

           “You let someone take naked pictures of you!” Hazel exclaimed with clear exasperation. “This is a very big deal!”

           “I was wearing underwear!” Nico protested. This conversation was starting to go in circles which was making Nico frustrated.

           Reyna placed a reassuring hand on Hazel’s shoulder quieting the younger demigod. “Now Hazel, I’m sure this isn’t all Nico’s fault.” She explained. Nico could work that idea, he told himself. As the son of Hades tried to think of a way he could blame Percy, Reyna continued. “I’m sure the son of Apollo encouraged this. You know how children of Apollo can be.”

           Nico blinked in confusion. The way Reyna said children of Apollo was almost disapproving. The daughter of Bellona had never expressed a distrust of children of Apollo to Nico before. He couldn’t understand why it was coming up now. Hazel, at least, didn’t looked convinced that Will was to blame for Nico’s risqué decision. Then again, Hazel had met Will already so maybe that was the difference.

           “Will?” Nico questioned biting down his anger with Reyna. He knew Reyna was just being a protective friend. Still, the idea of anyone suggesting anything unflattering about Will set Nico on edge. Maybe he was just a protective boyfriend. “Will has nothing to do with this, he doesn’t even know.” He explained. His words came spilling out of him without much thought. “Will wouldn’t ever encourage this, when he finds out he’s going to completely lose it.” As soon as Nico heard his own words uttered in Will’s defense he knew they were true. Suddenly, he felt like he had swallowed a hot ball of lead and it was now sitting heavy in his stomach.

           “You didn’t tell Will?” Hazel questioned. Nico could tell his sister didn’t approve of that decision either. Nico could have explained why he hadn’t told Will but that would have involved telling the girls about the fight. He doubted that would have painted Will in a good light for Reyna. He wanted her to like Will so he kept that bit of information to himself. “Nico, I like him!” Hazel exclaimed, her voice taking on a more concerned note. “He’s good for you.”

           “Are you sure he didn’t have something to do with this?” Reyna questioned doubtfully “I know how persuasive children of Apollo can be.”

           “Well yeah, Will definitely inherited that trait.” Nico admitted before insisting “but I make my own decisions.”

           “Then why?” Hazel asked some of the heat for earlier returning to her voice. “Why would you make smut?”

           “It isn’t smut! It was an underwear ad!” Nico growled, he was really getting sick of repeating himself. “It’s high end, I swear!”

           “It still seems exploitative.” Reyna grumbled and Nico was just gratefully she had moved past blaming Will. He just couldn’t take any more of that.

           Nico looked down and started picking at his nails again as he muttered. “It didn’t feel that way.” He admitted.

           “Nico, it’s smut!” Hazel exclaimed with finality.

           Nico sighed resigned. This wasn’t an argument he was going to win, at least not tonight. “No Hazel, it’s not” He reiterated once again but with none of his earlier frustration. “Listen, I didn’t do porn. I’m fine, I just got a job. It’s not a big deal.” He explained casually. Both girls on the other end of the message opened their mouths to argue. Nico quickly continued to talk so neither girl could get a word in. “But I’m really tired so could we do this another night?” He didn’t wait for either girl to reply “I’ll talk to you both soon.” He declared before swiping his hand through the mist screen. His motion causing the screen to dissolve into nothing.

            When the faintest signs of the mist screen faded to nothing Nico realized he was finally alone. Sighing to himself, Nico fell back on his bunk and stared up at the black ceiling. It had been a really long day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that Reyna comes off like a bit of a bitch here with the child of Apollo hate. I love Reyna as a character and in now way am I trying to bash her. She is just being overprotective and a little wary. She will change her mind when she meets Will.
> 
> See everyone Sunday.


	11. The story behind tattoos

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Wednesday y'all
> 
> I totally wrote this chapter in two days and it's been a roller coaster ride. I've gone from loving it to hating it to loving it again. Now, I guess I'm at peace with it.
> 
> Enjoy.

           Nico woke up to the sound of pounding at his cabin door. Blinking at the darkness, he first mistook the obnoxious sound was the start of a headache. He rolled over on his side and the motion didn’t change the sound. Someone was banging on his door at…..he rolled over to check the time. It was 7:00 a.m. Nico growled, the sound echoing off the marble walls. The distorted noise making it sound like the Hades cabin was hiding some sort of big angry cat.

          Only one person at camp would be knocking on Nico’s door at this god-forsaken time of the morning; Austin. Nico rolled back over on his back and scrubbed at his face with his palms at he marveled at what his life had become. It was amazing how his it was that his boyfriend wasn’t even at camp but he was still being woken up by a son of Apollo banging on his door. It was better when Will did it, but that really went without saying. Will would wake him up with gentle hands and gentle kisses as they laid together in the bed they had usually shared the night before.

            There was more insistent knocking at the door. Nico was driven from his happy memories of mornings with Will. The son of Hades groaned as he kicked off his sheets and threw his legs over the side of the bed. He made his way to the door slowly, his feet barely leaving the ground.

            When Nico pulled the door open he was assaulted by early morning sunlight. He blinked rapidly at the glare of it as the blurry figure at the door spoke with Austin’s typically upbeat voice. “Dude are you just waking up?”

           Nico rubbed at his eyes, and it didn’t help with the sting the light caused. “It’s 7 a.m.” he grumbled.

           “Yeah that’s my point.” Austin replied with a little laugh. The son of Apollo’s form was starting to become clearer as Nico adjusted to the overbearing sun.

           “What do you want?” Nico grumbled as he leaned against the doorframe, too tired to support all his own weight.

           “You have a tattoo, right?” Austin asked seriously.

           Nico blinked at Austin for a moment. Normally Nico found trying to follow Austin’s train of thought amusing. It was like trying to watch a ping pong ball bounce around. Now was not normally, now was far too early. He pushed off the door frame as he pushed the door shut. Nico was halfway back to his bed when the door clicked shut.

            The son of Hades crawled back under his sheets grumbling. He disappointed to find his bed had already gone cold. As he pulled the sheets over himself he thought that wouldn’t have happened if Will was here. He sighed as he tried to imagine Will was there, how he would pull Nico into his arms to share his warmth.

           The thought was probably more comfortable then the bed. Stil,l it was comfortable enough and could lull Nico back to sleep. Or it would have if the door didn’t fly open spilling invasive sunlight into the usually dark cabin. Austin strolled into the cabin like he owned the place.

           Nico rolled over so his back was turned toward the door and grumbled. “Did you really just budge into the Hades cabin uninvited?”

           “It’s your cabin, we’re friends.” Austin replied casually “So it’s cool.”

           He groaned and rolled over so he could fix Austin with a serious look. “What if I was naked?” He asked seriously.

           “Well, I guess Will would be pissed but it’s not like I’ve never seen a naked guy before.” Austin shrugged. “Why, do you sleep naked?”

           Nico could feel himself start to blush. He was very glad that the cabin door had fallen shut. The return of the cabin’s usual darkness acted as a good mask for his embarrassment. “Sometimes.” He admitted.

           Austin smirked knowingly. “When Will’s not here?”

           Of course he didn’t sleep naked when Will wasn’t there but he wasn’t going to tell Austin that. “What do you want Austin?” Nico growled. “I’m trying to sleep.”

          “I want to get a tattoo.” Austin declared.

           “Go to a tattoo parlor.” Nico replied. He rolling over, turning his back to the son of Apollo before adding. “That’s generally where they're done.”

           “I know that.” Austin replied undeterred “Come with me.”

           “I’m trying to sleep.” Nico replied getting more unamused by the second. “Have Mitchell go with you.”

           “Can’t, he has school.” Austin informed plainly “Besides he’s afraid of needles.”

           Nico sighed annoyed. “Then ask Cecil.”

           Nico heard Austin moving deeper into the cabin. Like his brother, Austin had a shoe obsession, just different shoes. Will owned more pairs of flip flops then any singular person had a right. Austin, on the other hand, had a collection of converse that had to be reaching the 100’s. Flip flops and converse made a similar sound on the marble floor, Nico hated that. “Dude, I want someone who knows what they’re doing.” Austin explained. The bed groaned and shifted as Austin took a seat on the edge. A firm hand, large but smaller then Will’s started shaking Nico’s shoulder gently. “ _Please_ ”

           “No” Nico hissed as he tried to shrug off Austin’s hand. “Get off my bed.”

           “Come on, you’re my friend.” Austin pleaded although he stopped shaking Nico’s shoulder, his hand still rested there.

           “No.” Nico grumbled trying to roll out of Austin’s grasp.

           “Fine,” Austin sighed resigned pulling his hand away from Nico’s shoulder. “I tried to be nice.” He stated sympathetically. Nico only had a split second to process what was about to happen. Austin’s hands went from clutching the top of the blankets before to ripping away rapidly.

           “What in the name of Hades do you think you’re doing!?!” Nico exclaimed as he sat up in bed to better glare at Austin who was holding all his blankets in his hands.

           Austin shrugged casually. “It usually worked with my mom.” He admitted and under all the bravado that was usually colored Austin’s voice was a raw note.

           Nico wasn’t an idiot. He could tell there was a story behind Austin's words but was in no way emotionally equipped to hear it. Nico decided to focus on what was going on on the surface, that was easier. “Give ‘em back!” he ordered.

           “Come with me to get a tattoo.” Austin retorted all the vulnerability from a moment ago thankfully gone.

            Nico glared “I will summon skeletons to take them back for me.” He stated firmly.

           “I’ll tell Will” Austin replied still holding tightly to Nico’s blankets.

           Unfortunately, Nico had learned that most often the best way to deal with Austin was to stoop to his level. Even more unfortunately, Austin had really only had one level. Nico grinned suggestively “You think I can’t get him to forgive me?” he asked “I have  _skills_.”

           “So I’ve heard, in poetic detail” Austin replied with a bit of a laugh.  _Damn him_ , Nico thought. Austin was too experienced at stooping to this level, Nico couldn’t win at this game. Nico couldn’t help but blush thinking of what exactly Will could have described in poetic detail. Austin smiled as he continued. “But when I’m talking to him I  _might_  accidently tell him about other things. You know like you being an underwear model.” he stated before shrugging. “I mean I’d feel bad about it but…”

           Nico felt all the blood rush from his face. He went slack jawed as he stared at Austin in shock. “That’s blackmail.” he stated.

           Austin made a clicking sound with his tongue “That’s such an ugly word.” He smirked. “Accurate, but ugly.”

           They stared at each other for a long moment. Nico considered calling Austin’s bluff but he wasn’t actually sure it was a bluff. “Fine” He sighed resigned “Can I at least shower first?”

           Austin shrugged as he gathered Nico’s blankets up into a ball against his chest. “Can’t see why not.” he stated walking over to Hazel’s bunk and taking a seat “I’ll wait.”

           Nico grumbled as pushed himself out of bed. He grabbed clothes out of his dresser aggressively. Why he surrounded himself with such difficult and stubborn demigods was beyond him.

           Three hours later Nico had showered. Both demigods had eaten breakfast which was more difficult then it sounded. It meant sitting through an entire meal with Kayla and Malcolm. The couple went from scream at each other to making out at least three times over the course of the meal. After breakfast they had endured a drive into the city in one of the camps vans.

           Nico swore they would have gotten there faster if they had hitched a ride with a couple of snails. Austin was firm on shadow-travel not being an option because Will would not approve. Nico had argued Will wouldn’t approve of him dying of boredom either but Austin didn’t buy it.

           Austin wasn't the type-A personality Will was. He had no idea where he wanted to get his tattoo go so they went to the place Nico had gotten both his tattoos. The tattoo parlor was in a little building not far from Sally Jackson’s apartment. If Nico was being real honest from the outside the place looked like a decrepit mess. He didn’t want to imagine Will’s reaction if he saw the outside of the place and knew that was where Nico had gotten his tattoos done. From the street, the place just screamed  _INFECTION_!

           The inside, of course, was a completely different story. When they walked in a small bell above the door chimmed announcing their presence. The place hadn’t changed in the month since Nico had gotten the tattoo on his back done. It was just one large room with a few carefully placed dividers for privacy. There was a glass display case along one wall filled with body jewelry. What could be seen of the walls were a dark purple but most of it was covered with art. Some were pictures of completed tattoos, others were drawings. The carpet was a blood red color that Nico thought was beyond tacky but wasn’t going to point it out. Between the dark walls and carpet the place should have looked small and dark but it didn’t. It was well lit and visible clean. The scent of cleaners even hung in the air in case there was any doubt.

           All and all Nico liked the place. One quick look around and he sighed half content and half resigned. “Will’s going to kill me.” He thought out loud.

           Austin paused in his inspection of the art on the wall to look over his shoulder and ask. “Why?”

           “I promised I wouldn’t get anymore tattoos without him being there.” Nico explained dejectedly.

           “Dude, I’m getting a tattoo, you don’t have to.” Austin reasoned.

           Nico blinked at him. It was probably strange but Nico liked the whole process of getting a tattoo. He liked the idea of picking a design and turning himself into a piece of art. Nico even liked the pain in a strange way. If his life had taught him anything is that nothing good comes without a price. With a tattoo the pain was the price, it was uncomplicated that way. The pain wasn’t even that bad. In the moment, it could hurt but afterward the sting that lingers is….thrilling. Nico didn’t feel the need to explain any of that. “But we’re here.” He replied flatly.

           Austin let out a laugh. “You can always blame me.”

           Nico shrugged “Well yeah that was my plan.” That was not his plan for dealing with Will when he found out about the tattoo. Percy had been right when Nico had gotten his first tattoo. Will got pretty excited at the sight of Nico’s tattoos. The son of Hades figured he would wait to tell Will until the next time they saw each other in person. He was still have to listen to Will’s disapproving lecture but it would be much less heated. And then of course there would probably be make-up sex, even Nico wasn’t sure if Will being overprotective counted as a fight. Either way Will was incredibly hot when he got all hot and bother which meant really amazing sex.

           Maybe that was why he liked getting tattoos so much, Nico thought, it lead to amazing sex with Will. Yeah, there was no way Nico was telling Austin that-  _I don’t have to blame you, I just need to show Will the tattoo. He has a bit of a kink, we’ll just end up having incredibly hot sex_.

           “Not like you’ll have to blame me for long.” Austin noted turning back to the art on the wall. “Knowing Will he’ll pretend to be upset for about five seconds before you two end up sweaty and naked.”

           “Will’s not you.” Nico retorted trying to hide how unsettling it was that Austin seemed to read his mind. “He is capable of thinking of something besides sex.”

           “No, he’s not.” Austin replied looking back over his shoulder grinning. “And neither can you judging by how you’re blushing.”

           Nico rolled his eyes and tried to force the heat from his cheeks with the sheer power of his will. “I don’t know why I hang out with you.”

           “Dude, because I’m awesome.” he stated cockily “Also you’re using me as a platonic Will supplement.”

           “I am not” Nico protested. That may have been the case at first but now he had grown to like Austin even if he was annoying and wildly inappropriate.

            Austin continued to grin at him and Nico was sure he had something to say. Knowing Austin it would probably be cocky and annoying but in a weird way amusing but Nico didn’t find out. The tattoo artist walked out from behind a door marked staff only. She was a young women with dark hair and green eyes and more tattoos then Nico thought could possibly fit on a small body walked. “Hey Nico” She greeted casually as she spotted them near the entrance.  “How’d that back piece heal for you.”

           “Fine.” Nico replied with a shrug. Honestly Nico forgot he had gotten his wings so recently. It had been completely healed within two days thanks to unicorn drought so it felt like he had it longer.

           “So are you here for yourself or did you convince the boyfriend here to get a tat.” She asked jutting a finger in Austin’s direction.

           “Huh?” Nico replied confused. Not only was Austin clearly not his boyfriend, even if Will was here Nico could never imagine him getting a tattoo.

           “Oh no, I’m not the boyfriend.” Austin corrected with a grin. “Future brother-in-law.”

           “Sorry” The tattoo artist apologized with a grin “All I had to go on was blonde and tan.”

           “Honest mistake.” Austin shrugged.

           “He wants a tattoo.” Nico pointed out as he pointed at Austin in hopes of moving this whole thing along.

           “You’re in luck we do those here.” The tattoo artist stated before turning her attention to Austin “What can I do for you, blondie?”

           Austin’s eyes furrowed with confusion. “A tattoo” he answered sounding a little lost. Nico looked down at his shoes to hide his grin. It was rare that Austin didn’t beam over-confidence.

           “I know sweetie” The tattoo artist replied with a grin of her own. Apparently you didn’t need to know Austin to find his confusion amusing. “I mean where and what exactly.”

           “Ummm….” Austin looked toward Nico for assistance.

           “You don’t know what you want?” Nico asked deadpan as Austin’s complete cluelessness became abundantly clear. He swallowed his annoyance as he reiterated the situation. “You don’t know what you want and you woke me up at 7 am.”

           “I need to know I want?” Austin asked bewildered. “I didn’t know that.”

           Nico groaned and pitched at the bridge of his nose. “I’m going to murder you.” he declared flatly.

           “That’s alright blondie we have some books you can look through.” The tattoo artist assured with a smile and much more patience that the son of Hades had at his disposal. She turned toward Nico. “What can I do for you my little ray of midnight?”

           Nico thought about protesting at the assumption but didn’t see the point. He had decided he was getting another tattoo the moment he agreed to come with Austin. He pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. It was something he had Hazel draw not long after he and Will had made up from that big fight. He had planned to wait until his birthday when Will came back to camp to visit, that way Will would be there. Now seemed like as good as a time as ever, and he was convinced that he could convince Will it was okay.

           The tattoo artist accepted the paper and examined it for a moment before nodding. “Unexpected but I like it.” She stated before eyeing Nico “Where do you want it?” Nico replied by patting the left side of his chest with his open hand. She nodded again with understanding. “Alright, give me some time to make the stencil. I’ll get those books for you to look at.”

           The tattoo artist disappeared behind the door marked staff only again. Nico turned back toward Austin not trying to hide his annoyance. “I can’t believe you dragged me here when you don’t know what you want.” he stated.

           “Dragged you? You'rr carrying the picture with you. More like gave you an excuse.” Austin declared dismissively. “What are you getting?”

           Nico took a sudden interest in the art on the wall. “Doesn’t matter.” He muttered in hopes they wouldn’t actually have to talk about it. That was probably wishful thinking considering Austin was going to watch him actually get the tattoo, but he still hoped.

           “You’re getting it carved into your chest in permanent ink.” Austin retorted. “It matters.”

           Nico sighed and kept his eyes on the art on the wall. He examined a sketch of a skull and cross bone tattoo. He didn’t like it which would probably surprise a lot of people but it was just too aggressive. It looked like something you would see on a child of Ares. “A sun.” Nico admitted.

           Austin turned to him with surprise. Nico continued to look at the ugly tattoo on the wall. “Seriously?” the blonde asked sounding bewildered.

           “Yeah” Nico replied before explaining. “I got the bow and arrow for Bianca, the wings for my mom, and now the sun…for Will.”

           Austin was silent for so long Nico couldn’t take it anymore. He turned to see Austin grinning at him. “Wow”

           “Shut up” Nico hissed as he looked back at the wall.

           From the corner of his eye Nico could see Austin grinning at him like an idiot. “I want to be the ring bearer at the wedding.” He stated cheerfully.

           “Will you shut up with stuff like that.” Nico shot back but couldn’t stop himself from blushing. He didn’t understand why everyone insisted on making jokes about him and Will getting married.

           “Dude, you two are  _so_  getting married.” Austin teased excitedly. “You’re going to do the whole 2.5 kids, white picket fence and dog fantasy,” he stated happily. “just accept it ‘cause everyone already knows it.”

           Nico looked around for something to change the subject. He couldn’t talk about the future, his future, with Will. Not that the picture Austin painted didn’t sound nice, it did, except for the dog. Dogs hated Nico, it was a child of Hades things. Still, he wasn’t ready to think about that stuff.

           “What about something like that?” Nico asked pointing to a musical note tattoo on the wall.

           “I mean it’s cool I guess” Austin declared with a shrug as he examined it. He looked back at Nico to ask. “I don’t know, you’re an artist can’t you draw me something?”

           “I’m a photographer” Nico corrected. “I don’t draw. That's Hazel's thing.”

           “Fuck” Austin exclaimed as a compliant.

           “Austin!” Nico hissed. Why did everyone around him insist on cursing like a sailor?

           “Sorry” Austin laughed. “I forget while you were taken out of the 1930s, the 1930s weren’t taken out of you.”

          “There is a time and a place for cursing,” Nico replied annoyed at the reference. “and it’s not every conversation.”

           “Whatever you say man.” Austin chuckled.

           Nico rolled his eyes “Do you want my help or not?”

           “Dude, that’s what I brought you here for” Austin retorted. “but I apparently want your sister, which I mean if I’m being honest-”

           “I will stab you if you finish that thought.” Nico warned.

           “Fine” Austin huffed “Help me, please.”

           Nico rolled his eyes but walked over to a display cabinet. He grabbed one of the parlor’s business cards and a pen. He turned the card over and drew a quick picture of an arrow with a treble clef in place of the feathers on the end of the shaft. It wasn’t a great drawing, Hazel could have done a million times better. He handed the card over to Austin “What about something like that, it could go on your wrist or something.”

           Austin examined the drawing for a second before looking back at Nico critically. “Dude, I thought you said you couldn’t draw?”

           “I can’t.” Nico replied honestly.

           “This is awesome!” Austin exclaimed excitedly. It didn’t mean much to Nico, Austin was easily excitable. “It’s perfect!”

           “You're easily impressed” Nico grumbled.

           The tattoo artist returned with a stencil for Nico’s tattoo in one hand and the photo books in other. “Loss the shirt and come back to the chair hon” She stated as she walked back toward the chair herself.

           “Yeah, come on” Austin waved excitedly as he quickly went to follow her. “let’s get the pictorial equivalent of ‘property of Will Solace’ tattooed to your chest.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if I went on a bit about tattoos- I love them, I have two- I couldn't help myself.
> 
> See ya Sunday!


	12. Birthday Gifts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Wednesday!
> 
> This entire chapter is wildly inappropriate. Expect sexual comments like all the time.
> 
> So....I may take a week off from posting, not from writing, just posting. Next week is looking like it will be crazy, plus I'm doing this secret santa on tumblr so I have extra writing I need to do. I haven't made a hard and fast decision yet but I didn't want anyone to be blindsided. I'll have a definite answer one way or the other by Sunday (I'm sorry, I hate not posting).

          It was a typical day at Camp Half-Blood which was strange for several reasons. One, the fact that Camp Half-Blood had typical days at all was odd. The fact that 'Typical' weren’t filled with monster attacks were odder. While monster activity as a whole seemed to be on the rise, things were still pretty quiet when compared to before Gaea’s defeat. Even stranger, Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, helping in the infirmary happened enough to considered part of the day to day running of things.

           Nico was restocking the portable exam charts. It was boring tedious work at least for once he wasn’t filing patient charts. The son of Hades had learned quickly that Austin was averse to anything having to do with paperwork. It had taken several threats, a few thrown objects, and finally getting Mitchell involved to get the acting head counselor for the Apollo cabin to fill out patient charts at all. He still wouldn’t file them away properly. Instead, he would let them stack up on the admissions desk until someone else did it.

           Someone else was usually Nico, but not today. Kayla had the morning shift and while she worked apparently Malcolm had gotten bored. The was fine by Nico, at least restocking the exam carts allowed him to move around instead of sitting at a desk.

           Cecil was sitting on one of the cots humming while he cleaned a set of lock picking tools. Nico knew better then to comment or to ask, although the son of Hermes had promised to teach Nico to pick a lock. The son of Hades wasn’t in a rush to learn that particular skill. Shadow-travel often rendered locked doors pointless.

           Since there were currently no patients Austin was unloading the latest shipment of supplies. Just because monster activity was low didn’t mean there weren’t injuries around camp. Impulsive demigods did stupid things and stupid things often led to injuries. Keeping the infirmary stocked with basic first aid items like bandages and ambrosia was still a necessity.

           Nico sat on the floor in front of four carts. He was carefully stuffing bottles of drought in the bottom most drawer of each. He focused on his task because it was important that each cart be stocked the same way. His back was to the others and they had been quiet for so long Nico had almost forgotten they were there at all. That was until Austin’s voice cut through the silence. “So this thought just occurred to me.”

           Nico glanced over his shoulder at the son of Apollo. Austin was currently stocking the “sex” cabinet. He stood with the cabinet door open leaving its contents very visible with a box of condoms in both hands. Nico di Angelo may have been a great many things but stupid was not one of them. He definitely wasn’t taking that bait. “Please feel free to keep it to yourself.” He grumbled his reply as he turned back to his work. He heard Cecil let out a small laugh from his cot.

           “Dude, I don’t mean that.” Austin insisted. Nico could hear the grin in the blonde’s voice which wasn’t reassuring. “I mean I  _could_  make a joke about a threesome but not with my practically-brother-in-law and straight friend that would be weird.”

           “Good to know you have a line.” Cecil commented.

           “He doesn’t have a line.” Nico reminded the son of Hermes before turning to look at Austin once again. “And I don’t believe you.”

           “Alright” Austin admitted still wearing a grin. He placed the two boxes of condoms on a shelf before retrieving more from the box at his feet. “It is about  _that_ , but not how you’re thinking.”

           “Somehow I doubt that.” Nico grumbled as he pulled a small box filled with burn ointment closer. Thanks to the lava wall, the infirmary went through just as much burn ointment as it did ambrosia.

           “No seriously, hear me out.” Austin started and Nico resisted the urge to cringe. The last time Austin had said  _hear me out_  they somehow ended up talking about deep throating in graphic detail. The conversation had come to a rather abrupt end when Chiron had showed up. Nico still couldn’t look at the centaur without turning the color of a tomato. Austin retrieved yet another package of condoms from the box at his feet as he spoke. “So we’re allowed to stock condoms and stuff so campers can practice safe sex or whatever, right?”

           “Considering what’s in your hands right now I would say that’s obvious.” Cecil pointed out. Nico shot the son of Hermes an approving look. Cecil was probably the quietest of Will’s friends, or Nico’s for that matter. When he did say something it was usually funny or at least to the point. Nico appreciated that about the child of Hermes immensely.

           “Then why don’t we stock lube?” Austin questioned placing another box of condoms on the shelf. He bent down and retrieved two bottles of personal lubricate.

           Nico rolled his eyes at the son of Apollo before turning back to his own work. “We do.”

           “No, we don’t” Austin insisted firmly.

           “Dude,” Cecil laughed “there is a bottle of KY in your hand right now.” Nico grinned to himself, Cecil was officially his favorite person.

           “Well yeah, we stock KY and this all-organic brand of lube that I’m like ninety-five percent sure is shipped to us from Iris’s granola shop but we carry nothing designed for anal.” Austin explained placing the bottle of lube on a shelf. “That just seems a little hetero-centric to me.”

           “Austin!” Nico protested the whole topic of conversation as he felt his cheeks start to burn. Why did every one of their conversation have to devolve into something about sex?

           “Wait, there’s different lube for anal?” Cecil questioned curiously.

           Nico changed his mind, Cecil was not his favorite person. “A young camper could walk in at any moment.” He reminded firmly as he focused on filling the portable exam carts. He hoped that would put an end to this whole conversation before it got too out of hand.

           “Dude, if anyone should understand the importance of lube it’s you.” Austin stated. Nico turned to glare at the son of Apollo and found Austin was pointing at him with a bottle of KY to accent his point. “And I’m just saying that I think it’s weird that we have a variety of condom sizes in both latex and non-latex, organic vaginal lube, and gods damn dental dams but no Boy Butter.”

           “Alright seriously, there is special lube for anal sex?” Cecil asked again this time more forcefully proving he was definitely not Nico’s favorite person. “You can’t use the regular kind?”

           Nico shot a nervous look toward Austin who just grinned back at him wickedly. “You want to get this one, or should I?”

           Nico could feel his face turning even more red at the mere thought of trying to answer that question. He turned back to the carts in front of him in an attempt to hide his blush. “All you” He grumbled.

           “Figures.” Austin declared, his voice took on a tone that could only be described as a verbal eye roll. “Act all shy like I haven’t seen the claw marks you’ve left on Will’s back.” At that comment Nico’s head whipped around to stare at his boyfriend’s half-brother with shock. Austin just gave him an amused shrug, like the comment was nothing of importance. He turned to the Cecil, ignoring the look of shock and horror on Nico’s face. “Yes, there is special lube for anal. You can use the regular stuff but it’s not really meant for that.” He explained. “The vagina and the anus are very different places, let me tell you.”

           “Oh please  _stop_  talking!” Nico growled at Austin before turning to the son of Hermes. “Cecil, stop asking questions.”

           “Sorry, that one really is on me.” Cecil admitted apologetically. Of course, that didn’t stop him for continuing to talk. “I’m just surprised Will hasn’t talked to Chiron about this. Isn’t head of the Apollo cabin responsible for that sort of thing?”

           “Dude, before Nico Will was too  _busy_  to worry about something as unimportant as sex.” Austin explained an annoyed edge to his words. Nico got the impression that Austin had brought this up to Will at some point in the past and hadn't been happy with the results. “And after Nico, Will wasn’t going to run to Chiron and admit that the proper lube for anal sex was  _suddenly_  very important to him.”

           “Oh yeah.” Cecil nodded with understanding and a little laugh. “Chiron really wouldn’t have been able to ignore all their sleepovers after that.”

           “Oh gods!” Nico groaned “you make it sound…..we didn’t….well not right away.” He stuttered. It wasn’t like he and Will had jumped in bed together as soon as they started dating. That’s how Cecil and Austin made it sound. "We really did just sleep sometimes!"

           “No, you two held out a whole three months.” Austin stated with mocking reassurance. “That’s respectable.”

           “Dude, it’s longer then Austin has ever waited.”  Cecil pointed out with a grin in Nico’s direction. The son of Hades realized that was probably meant to be reassuring, it wasn’t. He glared at both the other boys.

           “That’s true” Austin admitted casually. “So I’m thinking since you’re an honorary member of the Apollo cabin you could talk to Chiron about this lube situation.” He stated before adding excitedly. “And while you’re at it we can get him to order some of the single use packets of lube too.”

           “No” Nico replied flatly.

           “Dude, were practically family.” Austin declared with shocked disappointment. That was Austin’s go-to line when he was trying to get Nico to do something.  

           “I’m not talking to Chiron because I don’t have to.” Nico stated firmly as he pushed himself up on his feet. Annoyed, he walked toward the back of the infirmary where Austin still stood by the open cabinet. “Anal lube is already there your just not looking hard enough.”

           “Trust me di Angelo, it’s not there.” Austin stated stepping out of Nico’s way so he could look for himself. “If I looked any harder I’d find Narnia.”

           “Well, it has to be here.” Nico insisted even though as he looked at the well-stocked cabinet. He wasn’t seeing what he was looking for. “Maybe we’re just out.”

           Austin gave Nico a patiently condescending look as he commented. “If that’s the case we’ve been out since I first arrived at camp after the Battle of Manhattan.”

           “And why does it  _have_  to be there?” Cecil asked.

           Nico peeked around the cabinet door to glare at the son of Hermes. “Didn’t we just talk about you asking questions?”

           “Isn’t it obvious?” Austin answered for him with a chuckle. “It’s what he and Will uses.”

           “Oh, yeah that makes sense.” Cecil nodded and returned to his burglary tools.

           Nico sputtered with frustration for a moment before growling. “Well, it doesn’t appear out of nowhere!”

           “No, of course not.” Austin responded “Will gets it smuggled in by the Stolls like the rest of us suffering gays.” He explained simply before looking toward the son of Hermes before commenting. “For a ridiculous mark up by the way.”

           “Not my division.” Cecil replied with a shrug. “But it sounds like a luxury item hence the price spike.”

           “Lube is  _not_  a luxury item it’s a  _necessity_.” Austin declared. Nico agreed. He still wasn’t going to comment that would just encourage this conversation to continue. A look of revelation spread across the son of Apollo’s face and he snapped his fingers. “That’s what I’ll get Will for his birthday, a case of Boy Butter.” He declared excitedly.

           Nico stared at the blonde in awe. He honestly wondered how Austin brain worked. Nico imagined it was a bit like a hyperactive squirrel jumping from topic to topic with ease. Sometime Nico swore Austin’s topic jump gave him whiplash.

           “You’re going to get your brother lube for his birthday?” Cecil questioned skeptically.

           “Half-brother” Austin corrected with a shrug. Apparently to him that was an important distinction. Nico didn’t get it; Hazel was his sister, the fact that they didn’t share a mom didn’t make her any less his sister. Maybe it was different with brothers, Nico didn’t know. “And what can I say, I’m a practical gifter.” Austin explained before turning to Nico with an inquisitive expression. “What did you get him?”

           Nico blinked for a second trying to follow the rollercoaster that was Austin’s thought process before he caught up. “I have to get him something?” He asked sincerely.

           “Yes!” Cecil answered almost immediately. He looked at Nico like he had just asked the stupidest question imaginable.

           “Dude,” Austin grinned at Nico’s confused expression “general rule. If someone puts your dick in their mouth on a regular basis you have to buy them a birthday gift.”

           Nico instantly turned scarlet. How he was able to still blush after being friends with first Percy and now Austin was beyond him. “You couldn’t have said that in a less vulgar way?” He asked trying to sound annoyed. He wasn’t sure how successful he was, he could only hope his tone couldn’t be described as a whine.

           “I could have but it wouldn’t have been as much fun for me.” Austin admitted with a shrug. It must have been a child of Apollo thing, because Austin always seemed amused when he got Nico to blush with embarrassment. It was bad enough when Will did it but at least then it was usually just the two of them in some private place.

           “Dude, you haven’t gotten Will a gift yet.” Cecil declared like that might have been the most horrifying thing he had ever heard. “You only have a couple days before you need to mail something for it to make it to Tennessee in time.”

           “Man what the fuck did Lou Ellen do to you?” Austin inquired with an amused laugh. “You sound frightened.”

           “Birthdays are important!” Cecil replied defensively.

           “You forgot her birthday, didn’t you?” Austin asked with a knowing smirk.

           “Yeah, last year.” Cecil admitted with a sigh. “Let me tell you, it is not a good idea to piss off a daughter of Hecate.”

           “Did she turn you into a tea cup pig?” Austin asked curiously.

           Cecil shuttered at the memory. “Worse.” he declared.

           “What’s worse-” Austin began with an inquisitive expression.

           Nico interrupted the side conversation abruptly. He just couldn’t take it anymore, he was starting to feel a genuine sense of panic. “Do I seriously need to get Will a gift?” He asked successfully hiding the majority of his feelings. Had he really missed such an important piece of social etiquette? He didn’t care if Will got him something for his birthday. Then again, Will was planning to return to camp for his birthday weekend. Wasn’t that in and of its self a gift? 

           “Yes” Cecil and Austin answered with finality in unison.

           “Oh gods!” Nico groaned bringing his hands up and scrubbing at his face with the palms of his hands. “I have no idea what to get him.”

           “Don’t panic” Austin reassured, giving Nico a gentle pat on the shoulder. Normally, Austin was good about avoiding physical contact. Nico suspected Will had warned him about it. Surprisingly, on the rare occasion Austin forgot, it didn’t bother Nico as much as it might have a year prior. Austin quickly withdraw his hand before stating. “Just shadow-travel to Tennessee so he can get laid on his birthday and you're all set.”

           “Dude, you can’t count sex as a birthday present.” Cecil argued.

           “No, you can’t count sex as a birthday present with girls.” Austin countered. “It totally counts with guys.” he continued. “Just think about it, if Lou surprised you with sex on your birthday would you care if she didn’t buy you something?”

           The son of Hermes seemed to think about that for a moment before replying. “Yeah but this is Will we’re talking about.” He stated not sounding completely convinced. “He’s a romantic.”

           “He’s a child of Apollo, that trumps romance.” Austin argued.  

           Cecil rolled his eyes, a rare expression for the quiet demigod. “Just because he’s a child of Apollo doesn’t mean he’s you.”

           Nico raked his fingers through his hair in an attempt to channel his frustration. He noted he needed to get it cut again. “Going to Tennessee isn’t an option.” He declared firmly.

           “Trust me on this Nico.” Austin stated. “Will isn’t even going to care about his stupid shadow-travel ban after a few orgasms.”

           “It’s not just the shadow-travel.” Nico stated deciding to completely ignore the end bit of Austin’s statement or he might actually die from blushing. “Will’s grounded.”

           Austin blinked at him with clear confusion. The son of Apollo looked from Nico to Cecil to Nico again before stating flatly. “I’m failing to see the problem.”

           Nico huffed and stumped his boot clad foot against the wood floor weakly. “I want his mom to like me.” he admitted.

           “Well then I’m out of ideas” Austin stated throwing up his hands in defeat. The son of Apollo looked toward the child of Hermes sitting on a cot. “Cecil, you got any ideas?”

           “I don’t know. I have a hard enough time shopping for Lou” Cecil admitted with a nervous shrug. He looked toward Nico before asking. “Has Will said he wants anything?”

           If anyone around could read minds Nico would have been extremely embarrassed by the first thought to come to his mind. For the most part Will was easy-going and didn’t seem to want for a lot of things. The son of Apollo rarely asked for more than company from his boyfriend. 

          There were really only two exceptions that Nico could think of; Phone sex and naked pictures. Nico had actually considered phone sex but then he and Will had that awful fight. Now, Nico couldn’t think of one without the other. Pictures on the other hand was something that Nico could do rather easily. After all the camera that Reyna and Hazel had gotten him had a timer so he could shoot them himself. As he thought about it, the son of Hades found himself wondering why the idea had ever made him feel so skiddish. 

          “Um…kinda.” Nico admitted. He was already mentally tried to figure out the logistics of taking naked pictures of himself.

           Austin grinned at him wickedly as he asked “Ow, is it kinky?”

           Nico did his best to form one of his classic child of Hades glares. Although his glares didn’t seem to frighten people as much as they used to which was annoying. He opened his mouth completely prepared to tell Austin ' _No, it was not kinky_ '. There was no way he would actually admit he was considering making amateur porn as Will's gift. Before Nico managed to say a word another male voice cut through the infirmary silencing Nico before he spoke. “Oh please say yes and then describe it in detail.”

           Nico, Austin, and Cecil all turned toward the front of the infirmary and the source of the voice. Standing around the first row of cots was Jordan from the Nike cabin. As if finding out last minute he needed to buy Will a birthday present wasn’t bad enough now Nico had to deal with this too. He groaned inwardly.

           Ever since Nico had modeled for Mitchell’s dad and the first ad had somehow circulated around camp he had been getting plenty of attention. For the most part it was annoying but harmless. Several of the Aphrodite girls would burst into fits of giggling whenever they were near Nico. Unfortunately, they went out of their way to be near Nico. Two campers, one boy and one girl, from the Persephone cabin would attempt to approach him at least once a day. They would turn scarlet within five feet of him and promptly would run away. Many campers that avoided or ignored Nico in the past now seemed extra interested in saying hi throughout the day. Annoying but harmless, and then there was Jordon.

           Cecil referred to the demigod’s behavior as persistent but Nico disagreed. Will had been persistent with him as their relationship had first started to develop. Will still could be persistent on some things. Persistent was a good thing, and Jordon’s behavior was not. 

The son of Nike showed up at the infirmary at least three times a week with minor injuries. The injuries were so minor most demigods wouldn’t even bother to come to the infirmary at all. What made it worse was Nico was convinced at least some of them were self-inflected. At meals, Jordon always ended up behind Nico in line at the sacrificial hearth and stood way too close. Whenever Nico was forced by circumstance to interact with the other boy it was one pick-up line after the other.

            Nico was observant enough to notice the way some of the other campers, other male campers, looked at him. He could tell some were interested in him, as weird as that thought was. Outside of a few lingering glances no one else had been so bold as to approach him. Everyone at camp knew he and Will were together, it wasn’t like they were subtle about it. Jordon, the other hand, didn’t seemed at all bothered by the idea that Nico was in a relationship. The whole thing made Nico feel exceedingly uncomfortable.

           “What do you want?” Austin growled angrily at the other demigod. The first time Austin had acted like that Nico had laughed openly. It was so strange seeing Austin act angry that it had come across comedic. Since then, he had gotten used to the out of character behavior. It had taken some careful observation and a bit of supplied information from both Cecil and Kayla but Nico had eventually figured it out. While Austin never seemed to take anything seriously, he actually did consider somethings important. As much as he joked, Austin had lines. 

          Apparently Will was one of those lines. As much as Austin teased his older brother he thought highly of Will and was extremely loyal. So Austin could make inappropriate comments and jokes with Nico but other people were not allowed such privilege. Nico wanted to be frustrated about yet another person acting over-protective with him but he just couldn’t. Honestly, he found it comforting to know Will had a brother that cared for him so much.

           “I’ve got a small injury.” Jordon replied to Austin’s question holding up his arm as proof. Along the demigod’s forearm was a gash running from his wrist to his elbow. While it was long, it clearly wasn’t deep. It was yet another self-inflicted or over-exasperated injury. “But I can wait, you guys feel free to finish that conversation.”

           “Oh no,” Austin declared firmly. He moved swiftly to meet the other demigod at the front of the infirmary “I’ll take care of it so you can go away.”

           In response to Austin’s approach Jordon took a comically large step backward. He was clearly trying to maintain distance between himself and the angered child of Apollo. “It’s nothing big,” He insisted before adding with a grin. “I’m sure Nico can handle it.”

           “You’d rather receive your medical treatment from a child of Hades then from a child of Apollo?” Austin asked through clinched teeth.

           “When that child of Hades is a hot underwear model?” Jordan asked with a playful smirk spreading across his lips before answering. “Absolutely.”

           “Gods, don’t you have any shame.” Austin hissed angrily.

           “Can you really talk about having shame?” Cecil directed the question toward Austin. The son of Apollo glared at Cecil frustratedly. Nico bit his lip to stop himself from grinning. Austin was probably the most shameless person he had ever met, even beating out Percy for the title.

           “You don’t get to pick your doctor.” Austin stated firmly “So sit the fuck down.” he ordered pointing toward one of the nearby cots.

           Jordon didn’t move, only grinning at Nico from around Austin. “It’s fine” Nico declared with a heavy sigh. “I’ll take care of it.”

           “Dude!” Austin exclaimed turning to stare at him in shock and clear disapproval.

           Nico rolled his eyes and started past Austin to deal with the annoying demigod. “If I don’t he’ll just be back tomorrow with another injury.” Nico explained, although it didn’t seem to make Austin any less disapproving.

           “I know I’ve been clumsy lately but with such a  _distraction_  around camp I don’t really think I can be blamed for that.” Jordan explained with confidently. His eyes lingering on Nico longer then could have ever been considered appropriate.

           Nico rolled his eyes again as he walked toward Jordon. He pointed to the same cot Austin had indicated before and repeated the son of Apollo’s command. “Sit down.” He didn’t try to keep the annoyance from his voice. If anything, he tried to pour it all into his words in hopes that Jordon would finally take the hint.

           Jordon walked over to the indicated cot and hoped up still wearing a stupid grin. “Whatever you say pretty boy.” He declared making himself comfortable. 

          Nico forced himself to clinch his jaw tighter to stop himself from talking. He turned to grab one of the freshly stocked exam carts and pulled it over. Nico wished the guy wouldn’t call him 'pretty boy', Will called him that. Coming from someone else it felt wrong. 

          Still grinning, completely oblivious that he had crossed a line, Jordon looked around Nico toward Austin and Cecil. Nico didn’t have to see the other two boys to know they were probably glaring daggers at the son of Nike. “Shouldn’t you close the curtain?”

           “No need.” Nico stated flatly as he pulled out a tiny square of Ambrosia and handed it to the demigod. “Eat this.”

           “Yes sir.” Jordon declared popping the square into his mouth.

           “Gods, Will should have hit him harder.” Austin commented loud enough to be heard by anyone in the infirmary. Nico figured that was the goal even though he was probably talking to Cecil.

           Nico didn’t disagree with that statement. He didn’t feel the need to comment, neither did Jordon. Nico examined the long gash on Jordon’s arm and as he expected it wasn’t deep at all. Honestly, the ambrosia was probably enough to heal it within the hour. Still he decided to clean and dress it so the son of Nike couldn’t return claiming an infection.

           As Nico used a cotton swab to clean at the wound Jordon started to ramble on. “Yeah I was playing basketball and totally kicked these Ares kids asses. They were just sore losers.”

           “That’s nice.” Nico responded with disinterest.

           “Don’t worry” Jordon declared even though Nico very clearly hadn’t been. As Nico discarded the cotton swab in favor of antibacterial cream and a Q-tip. “I ended up on top.” He explained his words dripping with innuendo.  “I usually do.”

           “I’m just going to start practicing archery near the Nike cabin. If an accident happens, well I really can’t be blamed for that.” Austin declared with a warning tone.

           Jordon seemed completely unaffected by Austin’s threat. Nico could understand but Jordon probably should have been at least a little concerned. His grin turned into a cocky smirk before he spoke. “You know as a child of Nike I’m naturally amazing at anything  _athletic_.” Nico rolled his eyes.  _Gross_ , he thought.

          “Is he serious?” Austin asked and again Nico figured the question was directed at Cecil. “He knows we can hear him, right?”

           Jordon leaned closer to Nico. This time he spoke in a lower voice although Nico was sure Austin and Cecil could still hear him. “I bet I could do things in the bedroom Solace couldn’t even imagine.”

           Nico took half a step back to grab a long bandage from cart and put some distance between himself and the other demigod. Nico may not have been as averse to touch from friends as he once was but he still didn’t like strangers in his space. “I doubt that.” Nico replied plainly as he began to apply the bandage. “Besides from what I hear you don’t have the right sized equipment to play in the same league as Will." He stated remembering some rumor Mitchell had told him. "I’m not interested in downsizing.”

           Behind him, Nico heard Cecil break into a coughing fit that was obviously an attempt to hide laughter. Austin, on the other hand, made no attempt to hide his reaction, he openly snickered. Much to Nico’s disappointment Jordon seemed annoyingly undeterred “Don’t you know the old saying?” He asked still wearing that stupid cocky grin “It’s not the size that matters, it’s how you use it.” He shrugged "You know, the motion in the ocean and all of that."

           “That may be true to an extent.” Nico admitted as he finished applying the bandage. He made a bit of a face. He never got the saying, size absolutely mattered. “But you still can’t get to England in a row boat.”

           Well that statement at least had an effect. Jordon’s jaw dropped and he blinked at Nico in complete shock.  _Sweet silence_ , Nico thought. It didn't last long, behind him, Cecil failed to hide his laughter this time. Nico was a little concerned the son of Hermes might hurt himself he was laughing so hard.

           “Future brother-in-law right there!” Austin exclaimed proudly.

           “Um….” Jordon stammered suddenly looking uncomfortable instead of confidence. “I should probably go.”

           Nico nodded in agreement “That seems like a good idea.” He stated plainly.

           Nico stepped out of the way. He let the other demigod stumble out of the infirmary without a backward glance. Nico knew he should have probably felt guilty. Hut honestly if it got the guy to leave him alone he just couldn’t feel bad about that.

           “Too bad we didn’t video tape that.” Cecil commented once he stopped laughing. “You could have given that to Will for his birthday.”

           “Don’t worry I think I know what to do for Will’s birthday.” Nico admitted.

           “Is it kinky?” Austin asked excitedly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Boy Butter is a brand of anal lube.  
> Austin is a really good brother.  
> Jordon isn't engaging in "self-harm" by any means just causing injuries as an excuse to go to the infirmary.  
> Size doesn't matter to a point..... Nico's right, you really can't get to England in a row boat.


	13. Reactions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've Returned!
> 
> Can I tell you how weird it felt not posting for a week. I constantly felt like I was forgetting to do something important, and I really missed reading and responding to comments.
> 
> I didn't get as much writing done over the last week as I wanted with the holidays and additional family insanity (I seriously wish I was related to emotionally stable and responsible people). Also I lost an entire day to binge watching Eyewitness (it was worth it so I apologize for nothing there).
> 
> That being said I did get some writing done so Yay! for that. 
> 
> Enjoy this little chapter and see you all on Sunday.

           When Mitchell showed up at camp Nico was completely surprised. It had only been a couple of weeks since he had posed for Mr. Bellomi. He had just figured the whole process of making an ad campaign took longer than that.

          Nico figured Mitchell had shown up in person because it was bad news. That Mitchell was there to tell him Mr. Bellomi didn’t end up using any of his pictures. The son of Hades was prepared to hear that news, after all that was what he was really hoping for. Or at least that was what he had told Percy and Jason.

          Instead of breaking bad news Mitchell came with a copy of the first ad featuring Nico. He also had proofs for the first three ads of the campaign, again all of them figured Nico. He even had an early edit of the magazine that would show one of the ads first.

          Once again Nico was surprised. He was surprised he could look at a picture of himself practically naked and didn’t feel embarrassed. Honestly, he looked at the picture and felt a strange sense of pride.

           Nico had figured if they used the pictures of him at all they would edit them up so much it wouldn’t even look like him anymore. That wasn’t the case at all, it definitely looked like him and he actually looked attractive.

           The son of Hades found himself staring at the pictures in awe as Mitchell babbled on excitedly. “Dad is so thrilled with how the ads came out.” he explained even though Nico was clearly only half listening. “He keeps saying he’s just going to fire the rest of the models and just use you for the rest of the campaign.”

           Mitchell paused like he expected Nico to say something. Nico made a thoughtful humming sound to fill the silence. “You would being willing to model again, right?” Mitchell asked nervously. “You don’t have too.” Mitchell added when Nico blinked at him “I mean my dad will be really disappointed. He’s talking about making you the face of his campaign, which sounds stupid but is a really big deal. Still, if you don’t want to he will get over it.”

          “Um” Was all Nico really managed to get out. The whole moment was a bit overwhelming.

          “Yeah, Will will just love that idea.” Cecil interjected “More half naked pictures of his boyfriend for all the world to see.”

          “My dad designs more than just underwear.” Mitchell defended.

          Nico wanted to kick Cecil for bringing up Will. Nico still hadn’t told him about this whole thing and felt guilty about it. The emotion must have read on his face because Austin came over and took the picture out of Nico’s hand. “Will will be fine” he declared. “once he sees this.” He turned the photo around in his hands so the other three demigods could see. “he will be far too preoccupied with the desperate need to fuck your brains out to worry about anything else.”

          “Austin!” Nico protested as his face burned scarlet. As much as he tried not to think about it, Nico had played out how Will would react more than a few times. In none of the mental scenarios would Will’s reaction be described as lustful.

          “Wildly inappropriate comment.” Mitchell pointed out with a heavy sigh.

          “Accurate” Austin countered.

          “That’s debatable” Mitchell argued. “But even if it is, you don’t need to point it out in such a lewd way.”

          “Yeah, what he said.” Nico agreed weakly.

          Austin laughed. “You know you two are perfect proof for the rule the more prudish they act in public the kinkier they are in the bedroom.”

          “Well I don’t think either of us are denying that.” Mitchell countered gesturing between himself and Nico. Nico was sure he would rather be left out of this. “That’s why you sons of Apollo should thank the gods for the privilege of getting us in bed." The son of Aphrodite stated and Nico was positive he wanted to be left out of this discussion. "And show your appreciation with some manners when you’re in public.”

          “I’d rather show my appreciation with multiple orgasms.” Austin retorted with a devious grin.

          Mitchell rolled his eyes as he declared “You’re impossible.” he turned to Nico and asked “Will can’t be this bad.”

          “It’s a bit different but, yeah, he has his moments.” Nico admitted.

          “They are so lucky they're pretty.” Mitchell stated absently. Than seemingly out of nowhere he remembered something important. He fixed Nico with a serious look. “Oh speaking of pretty, you may want to get an agent.” He stated. “Dad has been getting lots of calls from photographers and other designers asking about you.”

 

          It took a day for everyone at camp to find out that Nico had posed for an underwear ad. It took two days for the actual ad to make its way around camp. Nico wanted to blame Austin but it turned out that Mitchell was the one at fault.

          Apparently, the Aphrodite cabin kept an album of famous demigods past and present. It wasn’t just limited to people like actors, and models (because Nico was far from the first of those) but also included writers, politicians, inventors and so on. Before even showing Nico the ad, Mitchell had added one of the photos to the album. The Aphrodite cabin, while there were only a few year-round campers, were masters of gossip.

         That’s how Leo was the first of the seven to find out. It was near the end of the second day when Leo and Calypso showed up at infirmary. Nico had no doubt why they were there. He didn’t see Leo much since the son of Hephaestus was busy with preparing to build the Roman baths. Plus, Leo really wasn’t the infirmary type. 

          The son of Hades stomach dropped the moment he walked in. Leo wasn’t exactly known for being the serious type so Nico suspected he was there to tease him. He was pleasantly surprised. “Congratulations” Leo declared offering his hand for a high five. That was one of those modern gestures Nico still wasn’t one-hundred percent sure of how to handle. With uncertainty he held up his own had and Leo slapped it kind of hard.

          “Congratulations for wait?” Nico asked rubbing his stinging palm absently.

          “For proving the short, skinny guy could be a total stud muffin.” Leo declared like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

          “You looked lovely in the photo.” Calypso pointed out when all Nico did was stare at Leo blankly. “People often forgot there could be beauty in death.”

          Nico had no idea how to take that statement “Um….” He stammered and looked around. The only other person around was Austin who just shrugged at him. “Thank you?”

            Leo and Calypso hung out at the infirmary for a little while. Nico actually enjoyed their company even if watching them hold hands made him miss Will even more. Leo made a few jokes, mainly along the lines of it being a shame he wasn’t single because Nico could introduce him to some female models. Calypso didn’t miss a beat, which may have been the funniest part of the jokes. She just kept commenting on how it would be such a great honor for him to be rejected by an attractive girl, like Leo hadn’t experienced that enough. Leo also told him how the plans for the baths were coming (Annabeth had to be repeatedly told her plans were to intricate) and what the plans were for the Romans arrival at the beginning of summer. As a cabin counselor Nico knew most of the information already but it was nice to hear.

          Before leaving Leo stopped at the doorway to point out. “Jason was going to switch to mega mom mode and Percy was never going to let you live it down when they see the ad.”

“That’s why I am in no rush to tell them.” Nico responded hoping Leo would take the hint and keep it to himself as well.

 

          Leo did get the hint, or more accurately Calypso got it and made sure Leo kept his mouth shut. So when Piper and Jason first saw the ad it came as a complete surprise. They were the first of Nico’s friends away from camp Half-Blood to stumble across the ad.

          Piper and Jason were sitting a one of the outdoor lunch table with a few of the guys from the track team and a few of their girlfriends. Only one spot at the table was empty, reserved for Jason’s perpetually late teammate Tucker.

          “I found my future husband.” Tucker declared dropping into his seat without an apology for being late.

          Piper smirked at him. There were days Jason thought Piper and Tucker got along well and then there were others where he was positive Piper was prepared to strangle him. Judging by the humorless nature of her expression this was the later. “I thought settling down wasn’t your thing.” She questioned which in all fairness was the truth. Tucker was pretty loud and proud about being a complete player.

          “Oh sweetie for this hottie I could make it my thing.” Tucker declared with a fake smile as he pulled his unruly dreadlocks back in a loose pony tale. Jason realized he should probably intervene before Piper decided to end the boy. Sometimes the way they bantered back and for reminded him of camp, when Piper and Drew would argue. In this case, it was just a large African-American guy instead of a petite Asian girl. It was hard to look away. “Want to see?” Tucker asked with a grin.

          “Sure, why not” Piper shrugged “It should at least be interesting.” Tucker produced a men’s fashion magazine seemingly out of no where. He started quickly flipping through the pages.

          “Since when do you read men’s fashion magazines?” Questioned Phil, another one of Jason’s teammates.

          “Dude, looking this good requires research.” Tucker stated dismissively.

          Jason continued munching on his potato chips. He was not all that interested in discussing men’s fashion. Still, he felt it necessary to point out that Tucker was full of it. “You just want to check out the male models.” He stated plainly.

          California was a pretty liberal state. Jason and Piper were attending a pretty liberal school so it wasn’t a big deal that Tucker was openly gay. Actually, he wasn’t the only openly guy student Jason knew of, there were several others. In a way that reminded Jason of camp too.

          “Guilty as charged” Tucker admitted with a large smile. “You know Jason that’s why I like having you around. The straight guys wouldn’t think of that.”

          “So you hang out with me because I’m bi” Jason summarized with fake annoyance. “That’s not at all insulting.” He actually liked Tucker when he wasn’t pissing Piper off.

          “Variety is the spice of life dude, don’t be so sensitive.” He defended absently as he stopped in his page flipping and pulled the magazine up to his chest. “Now remember, I saw him first, he’s mine.”

          “Yeah, yeah” Piper declared holding out a hand “Give”

          Tucker passed the magazine over to Piper. “The one on the end.” He informed.

          Piper accepted the magazine, flipping it around so she could examine it properly. Almost immediately she let out a loud shrieked. Everyone nearby stopped what they were doing to look toward her in silent confusion. Before Jason could make out the cause of the reaction, Piper pressed the magazine against her chest and stared at him with large eyes.

          “What?” Jason questioned confused.

          “Nothing” Piper replied nervously. She appeared to tighten her grip on the glossy pages.

          “Seriously what?” Jason questioned with a growing feeling of unease.

          Piper let out a heavy sigh. “Don’t freak” she ordered before turning the magazine around so Jason could see.

          Jason scanned the ad and didn’t see what was the cause of all the fuss. It was just a picture of guys standing around in underwear. Granted the underwear looked especially tight. Also the underwear models looked especially well-endowed. But that was the case with most underwear ads. On his second glance through he paid a bit more attention to the models. Just as he began to think the one on the end was a little short to be a model he realized that the one on the end was Nico. “OH.MY.GODS!” Jason exclaimed using his hand to cover the practically nude photo of his friend before repeating. “OH! MY! GODS!”

          “We knew this was coming.” Piper reminded softly.

          Jason figured she was trying to be reassuring or comforting but she really wasn’t. “We need to find every copy of this magazine and burn it.” He declared firmly

          “Wow now that would be sacrilege!” Tucker declared sounding genuinely appalled. “What’s going on now?”

          Piper slides magazine back across table “We know that underwear model. He’s a friend of ours from summer camp.”

          “He’s more like my brother.” Jason informed before adding almost as a warning. “My little brother.”

          “Well your ‘little brother’ is a hottie and you need to introduce me.” Tucker stated firmly completely ignoring Jason’s warning.

 

          Annabeth was the next to see Nico’s ad thanks to a text from Piper. It didn’t take much for the daughter of Athena to convince Reyna and Hazel to join her on a trip away from New Rome. The girls had to find a newsstand that had a copy of the magazine. It wasn’t that mortal magazines weren’t available in New Rome. It was this one had been out for close to a month so most places were sold out.

          They spent a few hours looking for a place in Berkley that still had a copy. When they finally found one they were informed that there were Bellomi ads in several other magazines that could have been easily located in New Rome.

          Each girl grabbed a different magazine and scrutinized their pages until they found the Bellomi ads. Nico was featured in each one, some more prominently than others but he was still the only consistent face in all the ads.

          Annabeth couldn’t help but grin to herself as she examined each ad. One part of her still had a hard time believing the man in the pictures (because really calling Nico a boy seemed inaccurate) was the same boy she had met at the Westover Academy. Another part of her couldn’t help but see how far the demigod had come. While each ad seemed to cast Nico in the role of the dark and mysterious man he didn’t look brooding or sullen. He had a confidence about him that she knew was hard won for him. 

          Reyna examined each ad critically for a long time but said nothing. The daughter of Bellona purchased one copy of each magazine that featured an ad. Annabeth took as a sign of approval.

          Hazel was so quiet for so long Annabeth almost forget she was there at all. Once Reyna had paid she turned to the other Roman and asked “Are you being a copy?”

          “Of course I am!” Hazel declared a sudden fountain of excitement springing out of her. She started pulling copies of several magazines off shelf “I think I’ll get one of each.” She looked down at the stack on the counter with consideration. “Or should I get two of each, you know copies for Will?” She asked.

          “I don’t think Will is going to be happy about this.” Annabeth replied rather gravely. She had seen firsthand how quick to jealousy the son of Apollo could get. She could imagine him happy with this whole situation. “I don’t think seeing the evidence is going to help with that.”

          “Will won’t stay mad.” Hazel insisted “Not when he sees. Nico looks so pretty!”

Hazel proceeded to show the cashier one of the ads. She pointed to Nico and proudly explained that was her brother. Hazel was too busy being generally excited to notice the cashier’s confused look.

          When they returned to New Roman, Annabeth and Reyna had a hard time stopping Hazel from stopping people to show them the ad and explain that was her brother. They were only moderately successful. Annabeth figured the next time the Ambassador of Pluto came to visit New Roman he was be less than pleased with his sister.

 

          Percy was the last to see the ad (excluding Will of course). Unknown to him both Jason and Annabeth had decided separately that Nico would be better off with Percy not seeing it. Annabeth had every intention of hiding the information as long as she could. She simple forgot to clue Hazel into the decision.

          Percy was at work at the café working on his third attempt to make Frank’s soy milk latte when he heard Hazel came bouncing in excitedly. “Frank, Frank, Frank, Frank!” Percy heard her declare. The girls heavy riding boots clumping on the floor as she run over to where Frank was sitting. “Look, look, look!”

          “What?” Frank questioned before immediately adding. “Oh gods Hazel I don’t want to see that!”

          Percy’s interest was officially perked. He stuck his head out from behind the counter. The soy milk for Frank’s latte quickly burned as Percy made out Hazel standing with what looked like a magazine in her hand and Frank looking anywhere but at what Hazel was showing him.

          “But he looks so pretty Frank!” Hazel declared stomping her bootclad foot on the floor to highlight her point.

          “He’s your brother!” Frank argued uncomfortably. “And he’s only wearing underwear, that’s really more than I want to see of him.”

          Percy immediately dropped the scorched latte. The cup landed on the ground and the contents spilled across the floor as Percy hopped over the counter. He would clean the mess up later. “The ad’s out?!?!” He asked excited as he approached. “I want to see!”

Hazel turned and hand over the copy of the magazine. “Doesn’t he look beautiful?” She asked happily, beaming with pride. Percy guessed Hazel was over complaining that her brother made smut.

          He would have to analysis Hazel’s change of opinion later, he told himself. He focused on the image before him. “Wow” He declared with genuine surprise. He couldn’t believe the dark, attractive model he was looking at was Nico. It looked like Nico completely but something about it strangely reminded him of Thanatos. He looked beautiful but almost too much so, like it was a bit intimidating. Hazel coughed loudly and when Percy looked up he found her glaring at him. He figured she was expecting him to say something. “He really does.” He stated with a growing feeling of annoyance that he pushed aside for a moment. He didn’t see why Nico wouldn’t tell him the ad was out.

          Cal appeared at Percy’s elbow placing a latte in front of Frank. He casted a quick glance at the photo in Percy’s hand. “So that’s the famed Ambassador of Pluto?” He patted Percy sympathetically on the shoulder. “You should have hit that while you had the chance.”

          Percy rolled eyes at that. He couldn’t even imagine thinking about Nico in that way. In spite of the crush Nico once had, Percy was pretty positive if you asked Nico today he was say something similar. Also, anyone dumb enough to ask Nico that kind of question would probably die for Will’s fire-y gaze. 

          Percy honestly didn’t understand why people acted like Nico’s crush was such a big deal. When Percy had met him Nico was 10-years-old. 10-year-old’s have no clue what they actually want, Percy sure hadn’t. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so I know it drops off a bit at the end, and I'm sorry about that. I considered following up with Percy calling Nico but I figured that would be at least another four pages so I thought if I were to do it, it would be better as it's own chapter. If you want me to cover it let me know in the comments.


	14. There is no such thing as a private conversation in the Infirmary

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I may have almost forgotten it was Wednesday- Oops
> 
> Enjoy this bit of fun. It's Nico's side of the phone conversation on Will's birthday.

          Nico had been in a bit of a mood. Or, at least that was Austin’s reason for delegating him to doing restocking. Pushing Nico toward the back of the infirmary, and away from patients. The son of Hades had rolled his eyes at the suggestion and stated his mood was just fine before starting to the back. He found Austin’s accusation a little offensive. He was a child of the underworld so expecting him to be chipper was a bit unrealistic.

          Even if he was in a mood, he had the right to be. It was Will’s birthday, and instead of being with him, Nico was at camp. A part of him, an ever growing part of him wanted to forget Will’s shadow-travel ban. He wanted to just show up in Will’s bedroom again. It had worked out pretty well the last time he had done it. What stopped him was the idea of Will being grounded any longer than he already was. Will being grounded was making the long distance thing a million times more difficult.

          Will talked about how they would see each other again in January like it was right around the corner. But Nico’s birthday was at the end of January, and it was only mid-October. That meant they had another three months. The son of Hades knew he wouldn’t make it that long, camp only offered so much in the way of distraction. As it was he spent almost as much time in the infirmary as any child of Apollo. He had had a few more photo shots for Mr. Bellomi too. Still, Nico felt increasingly pent up, and unlike what Austin kept insisting it was more than just being horny.

          Nico was absently stocking shelves, lost in his own thoughts. He wondered if there was some sort of middle ground between nothing and shadow-travel that Will would find acceptable. He was trying to think of something when he heard demigods enter the infirmary. Nico really didn’t stop in his work at their arrival, after all Austin was at the front desk working on paper work. He heard two boys snipping back and forth at each other. Their words were lost in the distance but the tone was definitely snippy. There was also the sound of crying but that sounded like a small child, younger than the bickering boys.

          As Nico continued to work on stocking as he listened. He heard to Austin lead the group to one of the cots toward the middle of the infirmary. As they got closer Nico could make out what the two boys were saying to one another.

          “I swear to the gods I will choke anyone responsible for this with chrysanthemums.” Declared one of the boys sounding equal parts annoyed and angry.

          “I’ll take care of it” The other boy replied gruffly. Nico got the distinct impression this was not the first time the boy had made the statement. “What’s a chrysanthemum?”

          “Where you raised by wolves?” The first boy declared sounding genuinely offended by the other boy’s lack of knowledge.

          Out of curiosity, Nico turned to see who the bickering demigods were. When he looked he saw Austin helping a little girl, about eight or nine-years-old, on to a cot, with two boys. Both looked to be a little younger than Nico. Nico recognized one of the boys immediately as a child of Ares who had suggested he and Will didn’t make sense as a couple because Will wasn’t  _impressive_. Nico thought his name was Justin, but he hadn’t thought about the guy since they had last interacted. The other boy was unfamiliar but his dark hair, bright eyes, and elven features were so similar to the little girl on the cot’s. He guessed they were at least half siblings.

          “No” Retorted the son of Ares looking frustrated and slightly confused. “I just don’t know what a what a chrysanthemum is? Is it important?”

          “It’s a flower.” Nico interjected. He knew there was no way a child of Ares was going to figure it out anytime soon and the other boy didn’t look inclined to explain.

          “Why would I know that?” The child of Ares asked outraged looking at the other boy. “What use would knowing that be in a fight?” He turned toward Nico with annoyance “Why do you know that?”

          “Chrysanthemums are largely considered funeral flowers and are generally associated with death.” The other boy explained like it was common sense before Nico could say anything. “Especially in Europe.”

          The son of Ares looked like he was about to protest or argue or something but the little girl shrieked. “No! Voglio che il mio papà! Ho bisogno del mio papà!” She cried pulling away from Austin as he tried to clean a gash on her arm.

          “Alright sweetheart I know this stings a bit but I need you to stay still.” Austin stated trying to sound reassuring. He did a pretty good job of it but Will was better at it.

          “Sta andando a male, io non voglio fare del male.” She cried pulling further away from Austin.

          “Sweetheart, if you want to tell me something you’re going to have to tell me in English.” Austin stated “I don’t speak Spanish.”

          “That’s Italian” Nico corrected turning back to his current task.

          “She doesn’t speak much English” The other boy, the one that looked like her sibling, informed.

          “Alright, well sweetheart I don’t speak Italian either.” He heard Austin declare “Just hold still and this will be over quickly.”

          “No!” Nico heard the girl shriek “No, per favore si sta andando male!” she began crying harder “Voglio che il mio papà!”

          “Anna, you need to stay still.” Nico heard the other boy say “Children of Apollo are very good at this sort of thing.” Nico smirked at that comment. Not all children of Apollo were medically inclined. That wasn't to say Austin didn’t have skills but compared to Will …. well the medical stuff wasn’t not Austin’s strongest area.

          The son of Hades heard Austin let out a rather overdramatic sigh. “di Angelo get out here.”

          “I’m doing stock.” Nico replied as he continued to work on unloading a large box of Ambrosia

          “All she needs is a few stitches and you speak Italian.” Austin retorted. “I know this isn’t the context you are used to using your native language so the vocabulary is going to be a bit different but I think you can manage.”

          Nico sighed and pushed the cases of Ambrosia that were in his hands on to a shelf. He walked back into the infirmary grumbling. “She’s scared it’s going to hurt, which it is, and she wants her dad.” Nico informed as he shoed Austin to the side to get a look at the injury. The girl had a rather large gash running along her forearm. She definitely needed stitches. “I don’t see how I could help with any of that.”

          “Um” The other boy hummed to get Nico’s attention “Her father passed away.”

          “Oh” Nico nodded with understanding “Definitely can’t help with that.”

          “Speak to her in a language she understands.” Austin explained rather unnecessarily. “It will be comforting.”

          “Ciao a tutti, io sono Nico. Come ti chiami?” Nico asked the little girl-  _“Hello there, I'm Nico. What's your name?”_

          The little girl sniffled “ _I’m Anna._ ” She seemed to relax a bit as she looked at Nico with big eyes. Something about the little girl was familiar, more so then just seeing her around camp. “ _You speak Italian?_ ”

          “ _I do, I was born in Italy_.” Nico replied simply. “ _That’s a pretty name, Anna_.” He retrieved a pair of disposably gloves and slipped them on. Austin quickly handed over a cotton swab soaked in a cleaning solution. “ _I need to clean your arm, is that okay?_ ”

          The girl blinked at him for a moment before asking in a small voice “ _Is it going to hurt_?”

          “ _A little_ ” Nico admitted with a shrug “ _but I’ll make it as quick as possible._ ”

          Again, the little girl stared at him for a moment. Staying quiet she nodded and offered Nico her injured arm. Nico moved to dab the wound with the cotton ball when the other boy stepped it. “Whoa, what do you think you’re doing?”

          “Cleaning the wound so I can stitch it.” Nico asked with unhidden annoyance.

          “Don’t take this the wrong way but children of the underworld aren’t the first people I think of when it comes to medical stuff.” the other boy declared

          “He’s trained, it’s all good” Austin declared confidently. The boy didn’t seem convinced by the statement.

          Nico turned to the little girl “ _Do you need him to stay_?” He asked her in Italian, referring to the other face.

          “No” She replied slightly nervously.

          Austin and Nico exchanged a look and before the other boy or the son of Ares could say anything Austin was ushering them out of the infirmary. Both boys protested loudly. The son of Ares even tried to throw around a few threats. Austin just laughed at that, s he put it. “The son of Hades I have at my back trumps whatever war god skills you think you’re packing.”

          The girl, Anna, seemed amused by the display which made Nico like her a bit. For being so afraid it would hurt, the girl handled the pain from the cleaning and the application of the numbing agent without more than a whimper. That made Nico respect the little girl more than a little.

          As Nico cleaned the wound, numbed the area, and started the stitch they chatted back and forth in Italian. Nico had to admit was nice. As it turned out Anna was the daughter of Persephone which would explains why she looked familiar. She looked a lot like her mom. She was an opinionated little thing too which was funny. She didn’t think much of her brother’s current love interest, the son of Ares that had accompanied them to the infirmary. Nico laughed at that before admitting he didn’t think much of the boy either.

          Nico was about halfway through the stitches when an annoying beeping noise started. He did his best to ignore the sound as he focused on the task at hand. Austin had taught him how to do stitches awhile ago. The skill wasn’t that difficult but Nico didn’t have a ton of practice so it still required most of his attention. Anna on the other hand had no problem pointing out “ _What’s that annoying sound_?” She asked looking around.

          “ _I don’t know_ ” Nico admitted. He looked over his shoulder to where Austin had taken up the restocking. “Can you please find the source of that sound and make it stop?”

          “Well since you said please.” Austin replied not that Nico was paying him much attention. He had already returned to finishing Anna’s stitches.

          The noise stopped and both Nico and the girl seemed to sigh with relief. Nico focused on finishing the stitches. He was vaguely aware of Austin talking but it clearly wasn’t directed at him so he didn’t worry about. Nico had finished the stitches, applied an antibacterial ointment, and was wrapping the girl’s arm when Austin’s words caught his attention. “Oh, he’s with a patient,” Austin told someone plainly. “but he looks like he’s almost done.”

            Nico continued to wrap the little girl’s arm as he let a bit of his attention to Austin's conversation. Austin let out an amusing laughed “Seriously unlikely, just a kid getting a few stitches.” There was a pause and Nico tapped Anna’s bandage in place. Austin snickered “Language William, language.”

            Will was all Nico needed to hear for his attention to be fully on Austin even though he wasn’t in sight. Nico patted Anna’s arm reassuringly before pushing out of his seat to crane his neck to get Austin in his sight. Austin had given up on stock which wasn’t really a surprise. The son of Apollo was currently lounging on one of the cots with a cell phone pressed against his ear. Nico furrowed his eyebrows at the sight. “Is that my cell phone?” He questioned with confusion.

          Austin looked toward Nico “Of course it’s your phone. I’m a demigod, demigods don’t have cell phones.” he stated matter-of-factly.

          “Who are you talking to?” Nico questioned curiously.

          “It’s Santa,” Austin replied sarcastically. “he wants to know if you’ve been a good boy.” Nico glared at the son of Apollo. Austin just grinned at him wickedly. “Dude, who do you think it is?” He declared amused. “It’s Will and I’m sure he would rather hear that you’ve been really  _naughty_.” He actually wiggled his eye brows suggestively with the word naughty like his meaning wasn’t clear from his tone.

          Nico groaned and was very glad that Anna didn’t understand English. That meant the little girl wouldn’t catch on to Austin’s inappropriateness. Nico stepped forward and held out his hand for Austin to hand over the phone. Austin just grinned back at him and Nico rolled his eyes. “You’re disgusting,” He declared flatly “now give me my phone.”

          “Fine, fine” Austin declared with an overly dramatic eye roll. “Talk to you later Will.” he stated into the phone before tossing it to Nico. Austin, as a child of Apollo had damn near perfect aim and Nico had battle tested reflexes so it was an easy catch.

          Nico brought the phone to his ear and couldn’t help but smile a little. “Hey you” he greeted turning away from Austin’s prying eyes. Turning toward the cot just in time to see Anna hoping down like she intended to leave. “Hold on one second.” he told Will quickly before calling out to Anna. “ _Do not forget your lollipop_.” He stated in Italian reaching into a nearby drawer and pulled out the mentioned lollipop. She took the offered sucker before skipping off like she didn’t just get stitches.

          On the other end of the line Nico heard Will groan low in his throat. “Nic, please, no Italian right now.” Will declared sounding downright pleading. “I don’t think I can take it.”

           Nico probably should have felt a least a little guilty. At some point over the summer he had noticed the effect hearing Italian had on Will physically. He knew it was a bit of a tease considering the distance between them. Still, he liked it. The idea that just the sound of his voice speaking the right way could get Will wound up was empowering. He couldn’t help but let out a soft laugh. “Sorry,” He apologized even though he didn’t feel at all apologetic. “but I didn’t want the girl to forget her lollipop.” he explained softly in hopes of not being overheard. 

          No such luck, Austin let a loud laugh. “Dude, you may not want to mention lollipops” he stated. “may get him thinking about  _other_  things.” he informed with amusement before making a lewd gesture using his hand and mouth.

          Nico groaned before declaring dryly. “That’s gross!” He tried to sound intimidating but knew he had failed from the heat that he could feel coloring his cheeks. 

          “Oh come man! It’s been close to a month. Will is probably already thinking about you on your knees sucking his  _lollipop_.”

          Nico thought he might actually spontaneously combust from embarrassment at that comment. He hissed back trying to sound unaffected and failing miserable. “You do realize you’re talking about your brother, right?”

           “Exactly” Austin agreed “So I know what the child of Apollo libido is like.” Nico glared at Austin hoping he would stop talking. No such luck, which wasn’t really a surprising with Austin. Nico still groaned as he spoke. “Fine, maybe he was thinking about sucking your  _lollipop_.”

          Nico gapped at Austin completely at a loss for words. Austin just shrugged like it was nothing. There really was no dealing with him so Nico turn his back and started walking toward the front of the infirmary. 

          He returned his attention to the phone against his ear. “Sorry he’s …” Nico apologized to Will. He tried to find the right word to describe the interaction he had just had without mentioning it’s contents. Failing to he sighed “well he’s your brother, you know.” Nico took a seat on one of the cots toward the front of the infirmary and pulled the privacy curtain closed. “Anyways, happy birthday. How does it feel to be sixteen?”

          “Good, I guess.” Will replied without any real enthusiasm. There was a pause on Will’s end of the call and when he spoke again his voice was hushed. “I miss you.”

          Nico smiled to himself at Will’s words but before he could say anything in response he heard a chorus of “awws” on Will’s end of the call. Concerned at the mocking tone he thought he heard “Umm" he hummed nervously "what was that?”

          “Sorry” Will apologized sounding more annoyed than Nico felt. “I’m in the locker room after practice.”

          Nico didn’t know if he felt relieved or disappointed. “Right you’re still grounded.” Nico sighed at the memory “No phone privileges.” Sneaking around and having hushed half-finished phone calls had been so much fun- not. “You’re in a room full of half-naked guys and you think of me, I guess that’s a good thing.” he tried to joke but he knew it didn’t come across that way. He knew he sounded unhappy, and it wasn’t that Will was hanging out with a bunch of half-naked guys. Will wasn’t the type to cheat. Even if he was Nico didn’t get the feeling any of the other guys on Will’s team was gay or even bi.

          “Nico Di Angelo,” Will spoke and his amusement was clear, and completely unappreciated. “is that jealousy I hear in your voice?”

          “No, of course not.” Nico replied in a neutral tone. He played with the bedding on the cot with his fingers absently. “But it helps that I’m picturing them all as being really ugly.”

           Nico really had thought he had put enough distance between himself and Austin so he could have a private conversation but apparently he hadn’t. “Really dude, that is a waste of some perfectly good fantasy material.” Austin called from the back “A bunch of sweaty half naked guys hanging around.”

          “Will, one second.” Nico stated flatly. He turned his head toward the back of the infirmary and shouted with no real heat. “Austin, you’re confusing reality and porn again.” 

          “Please, boy’s locker rooms are so rife with homosexual tension it’s really not that far of a leap.” Austin retorted casually. “You’re boyfriend’s on the football team or soccer team or whatever. You can’t tell me you haven’t at least thought about locker room sex.”

          Nico hadn’t thought about that to be honest although now he was sure he would. He growled to show his disapproval at the topic. “Go spread your filth elsewhere and stop listening to my conversation!” 

          “Oh yeah, you’ve totally thought about it.” Austin declared with a grin which was met with a glare from Nico. He shrugged “Fine, I’ll go finish the stock you’re supposed to be doing.”

          Once Nico was sure Austin was out of ear shot he apologized. “Sorry, but he really should come with a triple X warning.”

          “I know” Will admitted with an amused sort of laugh. “A few years ago me and Kayla made him t-shirts.”

          Nico let out a laugh. He had seen the t-shirts Will was talking about, they were pretty funny. The laugh trailed off as Nico’s mind went to something a bit more serious, the pictures he had sent Will. A large part of Nico still couldn’t believe he had actually taken them let alone actually sent them. Nico turned his back to decrease the likelihood that Austin would overhear. Still he spoke the next bit in barely more than a whisper “Speaking of triple X, I sent you a birthday present. It should be there by now.”

          “Really?” Will asked and Nico could hear the grin he was wearing. “How triple X are we talking?” 

          Nico blushed at the question, and blushed harder when he heard someone speaking to Will. In the moment, Nico had forgotten that Will wasn’t alone at the other end of the line. Gods, what Will’s friends must have thought about what they were talking about. Nico tried to laugh to mask his modesty- Could he even claim to have modesty after sending his boyfriend naked pictures of himself? “Think ‘ _you’re really lucky I love_ ’ level triple X.” He informed.

          “You are the best boyfriend, to ever boyfriend in the history of boyfriends.” Will stated happily.

          Hearing Will say things like that should have made him happy, it used to make him happy. Now it made him feel guilty, he still hadn’t told Will about the modeling and he knew it. Nico sighed heavily. “I wouldn’t go that far.”

          It read in his voice, the guilt. Will heard it, Nico knew the way Will paused “Everything alright?”

          Will sounded concerned, which only made Nico feel worse. “Yeah” he replied weakly, not wanting to be on the receiving end of Will’s sympathy.

          “You sure?” Will questioned. Ever the concerned and carrying boyfriend Will could tell something was wrong and he didn’t want to let it go. Nico really wished he would let it go, at least for now.

          “Yeah” Nico repeated. He didn’t want to give his boyfriend upsetting news on his birthday. “I guess I’m just tired.” He lied which he hated “Helping out in the infirmary is harder than you make it look.”

          Nico hadn’t heard Austin approach until the other son of Apollo pulled the curtain open and fixed him with a serious look. “You still haven’t told him?” He asked and Nico was grateful Austin had the presence of mind to speak softly.

          “No, I haven’t Austin!” Nico hissed. He already knew he was a horrible boyfriend he didn’t need to be reminded. “Now, will you stop eavesdropping on my conversation and make yourself useful for once.” He sighed and was sure he looked as guilty as he felt. Austin said nothing else, just rolled his eyes and walked away. He sighed yet again, which he felt like he was doing a lot. To Will he asked with no real heat. “If I killed him, you’d forgive me, right?”

           “Only if you bring him back.” Will replied playfully.

          “That sounds like too much work.” Nico stated starting to feel a bit more relaxed. Maybe relaxed wasn’t the right word. It was more like his guilt was temporarily pushed aside by the sound of Will’s cheerful voice.

          Will laughed a little and Nico heard the sad note at the end of it. Nico knew what Will was going to say before he said it. “Well, I should probably let you go.” Will stated, much as Nico predicted. “Need to get home and get the mail.” He added with a mischievous tone.

          “You are so, so lucky I love you.” Nico informed him as he felt his cheeks began to burn again at the thought. Part of him thought he should have just bought Will a sweater or something.

          “I know” Will stated positively before adding in a whisper. “I love you too.” As soon as the words left Will’s lips Nico heard another chorus of awws.

          “Call me later if you can?” Nico encouraged trying to not be annoyed at Will’s friends. He wanted to be hopeful that they would actually talk later and maybe it would be private.

            “I will” Will stated with such conviction Nico believed him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that was fun!
> 
> As you can tell I greatly enjoy inappropriate characters hence Austin.
> 
> See y'all on Sunday.


	15. Nico questions his choice in friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Early Wednesday (Well it's early where I am anyways).
> 
> Here's a fun little chapter to enjoy.
> 
> There is some mild smut references, just so you're aware

          The infirmary was slow. That was something Nico had a whole new appreciation for since he had started helping out there. Dealing with patients was beyond exhausting. Nico didn’t understand why Will wanted to do it professionally. He didn’t understand it but he did respect it.

          Better yet, all the medical supplies from their latest shipment had been put away properly. On top of that most of the patient files were up-to-date. Nico had Mitchell to thank for that. The last time Nico was on set he had mentioned Austin’s aversion to all paperwork. Nico had no idea what Mitchell said to Austin but it worked like a charm.

          Nico was sitting with Cecil on one of the cots toward the back of the infirmary. Cecil was showing Nico the various tools that are used to pick locks. Cecil said it was the first step to teaching Nico how to actually pick locks. It all seemed like a lot of work and Nico didn’t remember Will pulling out a bunch of tools when he had picked a lock. Nico didn’t argue, instead choosing to stay quiet and listen. Austin declared locking picking boring and was folding laundry.

          Nico had tossed his cell phone on the end of the cot. The thing was beyond annoying, carrying it around all the time. After ignoring Will’s calls for those three days Nico felt obligated to carry it. He didn’t want to miss Will’s call ever again. When it issued an annoying buzzing noise Nico eyed it critically. He doubted it was Will since he knew Will had practice. Maybe that was why he was slow to reach for it or how Austin beat him to it.

          Nico glared at him which Austin ignored as he grinned at the screen of Nico’s phone. Nico reached to take it out of Austin’s hand but Austin moved out of his reach as he went to answer. “Nico Di Angelo’s phone sex hotline.” He greeted cheerfully dodging out of Nico’s grasp for the second time. “This is Austin, how may I service you today?”

          Nico growled and hoped to his feet. Austin made a half-assed attempt to run away which lasted all of a minute before Nico caught him and ripped the phone out of his hand. “Gods, you’re a public menace!” He shouted exasperated at Austin before adding “And that could have been your brother!” Nico brought the phone to his ear as he sighed. He didn’t know why he bothered pointing that out. Austin already knew that and wouldn’t care if it was Will. “Sorry, hi. Who is this?”

          “Ah, Jason,” A male voice on the other end of the line that did sound like an uncomfortable child of Jupiter informed. “and Percy, I guess.”

          “Hey” Percy greeted casually.

          “Hey guys” Nico greeted trying to sound casual and missing by a mile. “sorry about Austin.” He stated as he glared at the son of Apollo who was still grinning amused with himself.

          Austin shrugged like it was nothing “You don’t have to apologize for me.” He stated before his grin widened “Actually if you want to tell him anything you can tell him I was serious. I would be happy to service Jason Grace, anytime.”

          “Yes I do” Nico hissed back. He felt himself blush at Austin’s lewd suggestion, and more so at Austin’s suggestive smile and eyebrow wiggle. “and no, absolutely not!”

          “Fine, be that way.” Austin declared with a pout.

          “Everything alright?” Jason asked nervously.

          Nico ignored Austin’s pouting, he would get over it. “Yeah, what’s up?” He asked the boys on the other end of the line.

          “Hey, you could tell Jason I’d help him get it up if you know what I mean.” Austin offered once again grinned suggestively. Nico turned and glared with had absolutely no effect of the son of Apollo. “Oh come on, I’d do it for you. You know with Will, you’re not allowed to date anyone else.” He stated “Don’t make me beg.” he declared and all Nico did was glare in return before turn on his feet to walk away. Austin followed “Please, please, pleeeaaassseee.” 

          Persistence must have been another child of Apollo thing because much like Will, Austin could not let things go. Nico growled with annoyance as he turned and shouted. “Oh eat me!”

          Austin grinned like he just won the lottery and Nico just knew he was in trouble. “Dude, you wish” He stated with amusement “That’s like my specialty.” he said before adding proudly “I’m the best at rimming.”

          Nico groaned, this was why he needed to stop hanging out with Austin. Everything came back to sex, and somehow Nico always ended up talking about his sex life. “Sorry Jason, just a second.” He instructed. He didn’t wait for Jason to say anything before pulling the phone away from his ear. He turned to Cecil who was still sitting on the cot trying hard not to look amused. “Cecil, cover your ears.” He stated firmly. Cecil listened although his hands didn’t look like they would block out much sound. Nico looked back toward Austin and grinned before declaring plainly. “Well so’s your brother.”

          There was silence, Austin said nothing in response which was a victory in its own right. A pink color rose to the son of Apollo’s cheeks, Nico wouldn’t call it a blush, it was too faint but it was close. Austin threw up his hands in a sign of surrender. Nico grinned at his victory as he brought the phone back to his ear. “Sorry, but I think that took care of that.”

                Instead of Jason, it was Percy that talked first. Even though he sounded far away Nico could still tell he was yelling excitedly. “Bro, you’ve replaced us!” he stated before adding. “I’m hurt.”

          “What?” Nico asked confused.

          “You’re bro cheating with Austin and Cecil.” Percy explained, doing that fake hurt voice he used sometimes. “Dude, do you believe this?” he asked and after a few seconds Nico realized Percy was probably directed the question at Jason.

          “I’m fine with it,” Jason stated plainly. “as long as Austin never answers your phone like that again.”

          Nico shot Austin a look. The blonde had returned to folding laundry. “That I can promise” He assured even though he couldn’t actually guarantee that.

          “Fine” Percy stated with resignation. “I guess you’re allowed to have other friends but I expect you to drop them like dirty laundry when I come in to town.”

          Nico couldn’t help but roll his eyes at that comment. “Sure Percy” He stated to humor the other boy.

          “Alright, now that’s out of the way.” Percy declared. There was something on the edge of  Percy’s voice he didn’t like the sound of. Nico knew the sound well. It usually filled the son of Poseidon’s voice right before he say something he knew would make Nico uncomfortable.     Usually it was about sex, more specifically about Nico sex life. Nico sucked in a breath in hopes of steeling himself in preparation, maybe if he didn’t react Percy would stop bringing it up. “So Nico are you like double jointed, or do you do yoga? Because I would probably hurt myself if I tried to get my leg up and over….”

          “Percy!” Jason exclaimed loudly cutting Percy off which probably a good thing because it gave Nico enough time to think about what Percy had just said, realize what he meant, internally freak out, and recover. “That is one of the two topics we agreed we were no longer talking about.”

          “What  _are_  we talking about?” Nico asked with annoyance. He didn’t give the statement too much thought. He knew it was something about his sex life because with Percy it usually had something to do with his sex life. The exact details weren’t necessary to make Nico feel embarrassed.

          “Nothing” Jason replied quickly.

          With Jason’s statement Nico almost let out a sigh of relief but then Percy opened his mouth and ruined it. “Your ability to contort your body like a porn-star.”

          “I…what….I….no!” Nico replied flustered. Now Nico had a pretty good idea what Percy was referring to, although he had no idea how Percy knew about that. He really needed to stop letting Will talk him into things when it came to sex. 

          In his own defense, when Will had suggested it Nico was so turned on he could barely remember his own name. Will could have pretty much talked him into anything at that point.

          “Come on Nic, just put your leg over my shoulder.” Will had purred against Nico’s bare skin.

          “ _That seems unnecessary_ ” Nico remembered replying in Italian so it didn’t do him much good. That didn’t stop him from talking, it never stopped him from talking when he was turned on. Most of the time he liked that Will couldn't understand him because he didn't have to feel embarrassed. Sometimes, however, he wish Will did understand him. “ _Now stop teasing, and take me already_.”

          “I’ll bet it will feel amazing.” Will had promised at the shell of Nico’s ear. Nico remembered how Will’s hot breath on his ear in combination with the things Will was doing with his hands were driving him mad with desire. He really didn’t require a whole lot of convincing before his leg was over Will’s shoulder and they were both moaning.

          Nico could feel his face warming with embarrassment. There was no why Percy could know about that he told himself as he stammered. “Where….why….where would you get that idea!?!”

          “Sorry” Jason stated apologetically. “that's kind of my fault.”

          “And where did  _you_  get that idea!?!” Nico asked far louder than necessary.

          “It’s a long story but Will might have let slip.” Jason explained nervously.

          Of course, Will let it slip Nico thought with a sigh. This was why Nico didn’t like that Jason and Will had bonded. It was bad enough Nico was sure all of Will’s friends knew seriously intimidate details about Nico’s sex life. He didn’t want his friends to have that level of details too. “Will really needs to stop oversharing.” He stated almost mournfully, there was a greater likelihood of the sky turning green. “It was one time,” he declared with frustration not seeing the point of denying it at this point. “and it’s really not as difficult or fun as it looks.” He stated defensively.

          As he looked around Austin caught his attention, he was grinning at him. When the son of Apollo seemed aware he had caught Nico’s attention he mouthed the word,  _lies_. Nico rolled his eyes, so what if he was lying. It wasn’t all lies, the position really wasn’t as difficult as it looked. That wasn’t to say it wasn’t a bit of a challenge. Nico wasn't nearly flexible enough to make it a regular occurrence which was a shame because Will had been right. It had felt really really good. So yeah, it had happened more than once, but he wasn’t telling him that.

          He turned his back on Austin and huffed. “Why am I even telling you this? It’s none of your business.” He declared. “How do you even know about that Jason?” Nico asked curiously but then it dawned on him and he realized it was a stupid question. “Oh wait, is this about that the time Will walked in on you watching porn?”

          On the other end of the line Nico could make out the sound of Percy laughing. There was a stretch of awkward silence before Nico made out a groan. It took him a minute to realize the noise had been issued by Jason. “He told you about that?” The son of Jupiter asked nervously.

          “Will tells me everything.” Nico replied plainly. “So please tell me you didn’t call to discuss my sex life.”

          Again there was a stretch of silence although this time it wasn’t awkward. Percy was the one to break the silence which really had lasted too long. “Right, that’s me!” he declared “so now that Annabeth and I have told our parents about the engagement….”

          “You mean you told your mom?” Jason corrected flatly.

          “Actually,” Nico pointed out “I told his mom.”

          “Whatever” Percy hissed. “Now that is out of the way, I want to do a bro’s weekend.”

          “Do you mean a bachelor party?” Jason asked.

          Nico involuntarily cringed at the mere thought. Percy was trouble on a normal day. Nico didn’t even want to imagine the amount of chaos the son of Poseidon would cause during his bachelor party. Austin had recently made him watch The Hangover, Nico was convinced Percy would be worse. “I am not going to a bachelor party.”

          “Dude!” Austin exclaimed from the other end of the infirmary catching Nico’s attention. “Debauchery, sin, large quantities of alcohol it’s like the dream.” he declared “I would not skip a bachelor party.”

          Nico groaned loudly “No one cares” he declared.

          “You’re coming” Percy responded firmly “It will be fun.” He insisted. “I’m thinking Thanksgiving.”

          “Aren’t you supposed to have dinner with your mom and Annabeth’s dad on Thanksgiving?” Jason questioned.

          “That on Thanksgiving proper, which is on Thursday.” Percy explained his voice filled with mock disappointment. “Dude, I expect this from Nico, but you’re American, you should know this stuff.” Nico should have probably taken offense to that but he couldn't find the desire to care enough. He still didn’t understand the whole holiday in the first place. What was it supposed to be a celebration of anyway. “That still leaves Friday through Sunday for wildness to ensue.”

          Jason let out an amused noise. “You think your bachelor party should last an entire weekend?”

           “Hell yes!” Percy declared with certainty. “I’m Percy Jackson, I’ve help save the world twice! I deserve a weekend long bachelor party!”

           Jason all out laughed this time. “I guess you’re right, I can do Thanksgiving.” he stated sounding resigned.

          “Perfect!” Percy exclaimed excitedly “This is  _so_  happening!”

          “This is  _so_  not” Nico commented dryly. All he could think about when he heard Thanksgiving was seeing Will. Sure he was nervous about meeting Will’s mom and maybe his friends but he was still going to see Will. There was going to be no sneaking around, and it was going to be a whole week. “I have plans.”

          “Bro, I’m getting married” Percy stressed like Nico had somehow forgotten “change your plans!”

          “Can’t” Nico reiterated firmly “I’m going to Tennessee to see Will.” It had been so long since he had seen Will, and the way they had left things. What they had been in the middle of doing before they had been interrupted. The thought made Nico tremble with want, he took a shuttered breath and tried to steady himself. “I  _need_  to go see Will.” He stated. Sure the thing on the phone with Will had been nice but it wasn’t the same as touching and being touched by Will.

          “That desperate to get laid?” Percy teased and Nico wished the son of Poseidon was there so he could glare at him, or maybe punch him. “Or is that when you’re finally going to tell him about your new job?”

          “Dude,” Jason stated worriedly. “You can  _not_  wait until November to tell Will you’ve been modeling.”

          Why were they suddenly talking about this, Nico wondered. He would actually rather talk about his sex life than this. He rubbed at his bicep like he was cold even though he wasn’t. He always seemed to get the nonexistent chills when he thought about telling Will. “I’m going to tell him!” He insisted. He wasn’t sure who exactly he was trying to convince them or himself.

          “Will and I are friends.” Jason reminded like Nico had somehow forgotten. Considering Jason and Percy were the ones that had once suffered from amnesia, it was interesting they both kept acting like Nico was the forgetful one. “We actually talk and it’s starting to make me really uncomfortable keeping this from him.” Jason sighed “Honestly bro, I have started avoiding his phone calls so I wouldn’t have to keep lying to him.”

          Why wouldn’t Jason just let it go. “I.AM.GOING.TO.TELL.HIM.” Nico growled through clinched teeth. The lights in the infirmary flickered around him showing Nico was more than just annoyed with the topic of conversation. Or maybe it was just a physical manifestation of his own inner conflict.

          “Dude, it’s been like a month.” Percy pointed out. His voice was a mix of skeptical and sympathetic which was beyond annoying. It was probably a good thing that the son of Poseidon was in California. If he was at Camp Half-Blood at that moment Nico probably would have hit him in the face.

          “I am going to tell him!” Nico insisted and he recognized the doubt in his voice. “You just don’t understand,” He whined. Nico hated that he was whining but he was. “It’s complicated.”

          “Your possessive boyfriend is going freak when he finds out you posed practically naked in front of a bunch of strangers.” Percy summarized “That’s not all that complicated.”

          “You don’t get it!” Nico insisted. He looked back toward Austin and Cecil who were both very carefully not looking at him. Nico wasn't stupid, he knew that meant they were listening in. He huffed with frustration as he turned his back to them. He walked to the other end of the infirmary and leaned against the wall. “You’ve never seen Will angry! He gets all stern….. and commanding and….. it’s very ……. _confusing_.” Nico explained letting out a frustrated sigh. It’s not like Nico got turned on when Will was angry. That would be weird………

          Alright, he got a little turned when Will was angry. It’s not that he enjoyed fighting with Will or anything like that it was just the way Will got. He really did get all stern and commanding. It was similar to how Will was when he was handling a crisis in the infirmary.  Expect when they argued all that energy, all that heat, was directed at Nico. When they fought Will always seemed like he was about to throw Nico down and kiss him (or more) roughly. 

          Will never actually did that, even when it came to make-up sex Will was gentle even when he didn’t need to be. It wasn’t like Nico was into pain or wanted to be dominated or anything. But he would have been okay with Will getting a little rough ever once and awhile. There was no way in Hades Nico was even hinting to anything close to that with Percy and Jason. “I’m going to tell him. I’m just waiting for the right time.” He stated.

          “Nico” Jason hissed a protest “I really hate lying.”

          “Oh shut up Jason!” Nico hissed angrily “You lie to people all the time!” He declared which he realized was harsh but at this point he didn’t care.

          “I do not!” Jason retorted offended.

          “Oh really?” Nico asked with annoyance. Jason may not have liked it but lying was pretty much just part of a demigod’s life. Especial when they lived around mortals. “So all the friends you’ve made at school and Piper’s dad know you’re the demigod son of a Jupiter, king of the gods?”

          “Well no…” Jason stated weakly.

          “That’s what I thought.” Nico stated with finality before letting out a heavy sigh. “I AM going to tell him, I swear.”

          “You might want to hurry up” Percy noted “because it’s only going to be worse if Will finds out on his own.”

          Nico couldn’t really help but laugh at that. “Luckily Will isn’t much for high end man’s fashion magazines, so I don’t think I need to worry about that.” 

          “I don’t read men’s fashion magazines either” Jason stated “But I have seen every single one.”

          “That’s Piper’s fault” Nico dismissed.

          “No, there is a friend on the track team that tapes them up in his locker because you’re so hot.” Jason explained with clear displeasure.

          Nico couldn’t help but make a face at that “That is kind of disturbing.”

          “Seriously bro, what did you expect?” Percy laughed “You have posed in nothing but your underwear, you should have pretty much assumed that you were making masturbatory material for gay adolescent males everywhere.” Nico sighed, Will really wasn’t going to like that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See ya on Sunday!


	16. Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good Wednesday y'all!
> 
> SMUT WARNING: This chapter is pretty much just smut.
> 
> Will's dream the night Nico arrived in Tennessee

          Will stumbled. That’s how the dream started with the feeling of his feet struggling under him. That was the first sensation he became aware of in the dream where everything was black. Then there was the awareness of soft lips pressed against his own, moving eagerly. The feel of them, those soft lips, the taste of them, even their motions were familiar,  _so_  familiar;  _Nico’s lips_. He met those lips with his own and kissed without thought or concern, only his own hunger for those lips and that boy.

          Will knew it was a dream. He could feel the lack of reality, the lack of consciousness but didn’t care. If he was kissing Nico, it was a good dream. As a demigod he known the value of a good dream.

          He felt hands, cold hands, on his warm skin. There was fabric there between the caress of cool fingers and his hot skin. Even through the fabric he could still feel each movement. Nico’s hands were always cold. Somehow his touch always caused fire to burn beneath Will’s skin running through his veins where blood should have been.

          The dream was still painted in inky black. Will became aware of his own hands pressed, clinging to something slick and fleshy…. _leather_. His hands were digging at Nico’s leather jacket, pulling the son of Hades smaller frame flush against his own body. Their bodies were pressed so tightly against one another Will could feel Nico’s heart pounding, rattling his own ribcage. Or maybe it wasn’t Nico’s heart beating, maybe it was his own, or maybe it was both. Maybe their hearts were beating in tandem and that’s why the thudding sensation felt like an earthquake contained in Will's own body.

          The continued to move, driven by Nico’s lips, and his hands, and his desire. Will’s feet continued stumble under him as he tried to keep pace with Nico's drive. It didn’t matter, nothing mattered but the need building between them and in them. Will’s hands roamed leather blindly. He pushed and pulled at the fabric to feel more of what was underneath.  _Nico_. Then he felt his hands slip inside, passed the jacket, to feel the thin cotton of an over-worn t-shirt. 

          Will’s hands moved driven by hunger and guided by familiarity. He could feel Nico’s tight frame under thin fabric. He could feel Nico tone chest expand with each breath. He could feel Nico’s heart pounding in his fingertips. Will wanted more, he wanted skin. He pushed and pulled and tugged with increased desperation. When he felt Nico’s hands leave his own body he growled against softly lips. He was rewarded with the sound of leather hitting the floor followed quickly by Nico’s hands on his body.

           The dream world was still obsidian. Will realized it was because his eyes were closed. In the dream world where he and Nico were kissing like the needed each other’s lips, each other’s touch to survive his eyes were closed.

          Cool fingers slide under fabric and slide up the hot skin of Will’s stomach. Nimble fingers run up and down the dips and curves of Will’s abs. Blood roared in his ears and all Will could think was he wanted more: More touch, more skin, more Nico…..just more. Nico’s soft lips moved away from Will’s own continuing to kiss a path along Will’s jaw. The occasional sensation of Nico’s tongue flicking against flesh causing Will to shiver.

          Hands still grasping and his body still pressed tightly against his boyfriend’s unyielding form. Will opened his eyes and took in the world. Low yellowed light covered everything in grime. Walls once probably white but now too yellow to be called that, and too browned to be called yellow. Faded and mismatched green tile floors under foot and mirrors along one wall too chipped and corroded to reflex.

          Will knew this place all too well, it was the locker room at his school. He had never thought of the place a particularly sexy. Why would I dream about us like this here he wondered.

          The feeling of teeth closing on his earlobe. Not hard, just enough to tug and be felt. It drove all thought from his mind. “Will” Nico purred into his ear spilling hot breath on his skin. “Want you…” he declared his voice thick with lust. Nico ran his tongue along the shell of Will’s ear teasingly. Will felt the noise build in the back of his throat until it couldn’t be contained and he groaned. “Need you….” He stated, this time punctuating his point by nipping at Will’s jaw. He pulled away just enough to meet Will’s gaze and his eyes were the color of the midnight sky during the new moon. Still there was an intensity there, a dark flame that Will swore had more power than a siren’s call. “inside me.”

          A growl rumbled deep in his throat it sounded so primal Will had a hard time believing it had come from his own lips. He dropped his head and brought his lips to Nico’s throat. Normally Will would start slow, kissing Nico’s gently before acting with more desire. This wasn’t normally, Nico’s words rang in his ears driving him into a frenzy. He sucked a dark mark on Nico’s throat before soothing it over with his tongue.

          “I want that too.” Will purred against Nico’s pale skin. He pressed his hands under the thin cotton of Nico’s t-shirt and felt his perfect body under his hands. “Gods, I want you.”

          Nico’s head fell back with a contented sigh. He bared more of his slender neck for Will to kiss and bite. “Will” Nico breathed as hands came to rest against Will’s chest. The son of Apollo felt slender fingers grasp at clumps of his jersey.

          Will would never dare say it, not in a dream, and certainly not in real life but Will loved when Nico held on to him like that. When Nico gripped his clothes like he was desperately looking for something to anchor him. It made Will feel powerful in some way. While Will was nearly a foot taller and who knows how many pounds more than his boyfriend he rarely felt powerful around him. It was hard to feel like that around someone who could summon the armies of the underworld. It feed some primitive part of Will’s being.

          His hands felt hot against the cool skin of Nico’s hard abs. It wasn’t enough, it wasn’t enough touch, enough skin, enough  _Nico_. Growling, Will pulled away from his latest mark on Nico’s clavicle. He pulled roughly at the black cotton that stood between himself and  _Nico_.

          Nico whimpered at the motion, or the lost of Will’s lips, or maybe both. The sound caught Will’s attention just as surely as a gun shot. The brunet’s face was flush and his full lips were red and swollen from the kissing. His dark eyes which were to sheepish to meet Will’s were filled with liquid lust.  Nico bit at his bottom lip enough for it to hurt in all the right ways. Will struggled to suppress the growl that threatened to escape him and rattle the room to the very foundation. 

            Will took a half a step forward into Nico’s space with the intentions of recapturing the boy’s bee-stung lips for himself. Before he could he found Nico was no longer clinging to clumps of his jersey but rather his hands were on Will’s shoulders. The boy may have been small but he was far from weak, Will could feel that as Nico drove him backward. The son of Hades eyes no longer sheepishly avoided Will’s gaze. Instead he stared back at Will with want, and need, and lust, and determination.

            That look, the one Nico had aimed at him made Will feel weak in the knees.  _Dear gods_ , sure feeling powerful was nice but seeing Nico so hungry and focused with all of it focused on  _him_. Will was glad when he felt his back hit the end cap of one row of lockers. It offered him support before he completely unraveled from the weight and intensity of Nico’s gaze.

            This time when Nico gripped fist full of his jersey it wasn’t for an anchor, it was for leverage. When their lips met the kiss was hungry and demanding and left Will feeling dizzy in all the right ways. The whine that escaped Will when he felt Nico bite at his bottom lip just enough for it to hurt a little before sucking at it. 

          “ _Gods_ ” Will moaned once Nico released his lips. He wasn’t even sure what he meant. Was he praying to the gods so he didn’t cum form the way Nico was kissing him? Was he saying a thanks for having such a sexy boyfriend? Had Nico already driven him past the point of rational thought? Probably a bit of all three but mostly the last one.

          As hot as everything was, it felt something lacking in the moment. He reached out to run his hands along Nico’s bare chest. His efforts were interrupted as Nico tugged his jersey over his head and discarded it carelessly. Thre was a moment where they both stood staring at one another shirtless with a hungry sort of lust. Will was sure he was panting and his chest was probably heaving and none of that seemed to matter. Nico stood looking like the calm before the storm, perfect and predatory.

          The spell was broken before Will realized, before Will even noticed Nico had moved. Than there was the feel of Nico’s lips, those perfect lips, on Will’s throat. He left a trail of hot kisses down to the crook of Will’s shoulder, hot and possessive. Along Will’s clavicle Nico nipped and kissed making little growl noises as he did.

          Will’s heart threatened to beat out of his chest. He would have screamed  _Don’t stop!_  if he could manage more than a whimper. Then, when he reached his chest, Nico added his tongue to the mix, licking long strips down Will’s body. Will managed a gasp at that which in no way captured how amazing that actually felt. He found himself grasping at the cold metal behind him to stay up right.

          When Nico’s tongue swirled around Will’s hardened nipple the blonde couldn’t help but gasp. His back arching off metal. Nico chuckled before closing his lips around the hard bud and sucking at it, allowing his teeth to close just enough around it to let Will they were there.

          Will felt like he was about to fall apart in all the right ways. He desperately wanted to tangle his fingers in Nico’s hair or grasp at his sculpted shoulders. He couldn’t get his fingers to release their grip on the lockers behind him. “Gods, Nic please…plea- OH” Will was cut off by his own wordless mourn as Nico began sucking harder. “I….I….I thought you….. wanted….” Will tried stammering out before Nico released his sensitive nipple from the on-slot of intense pleasure.

          “I do” Nico purred hot against Will’s skin. Those perfect lips just barely grazing flesh. Will tried to arch up into them but Nico backed away leaving Will to whimper in frustration. Nico made one slow, deliberate tongue stroke down Will’s abdomen toward his navel before speaking again. “I want to taste you first.”

          Will moaned and let his head fall back, his crown coming to rest against the cold metal. He surrendered, leaving his body at Nico’s mercy. The brunet worked at a torturous pace down Will’s body. His movements were calculated, methodically chosen to bring Will pleasure and leave him panting. Each kiss, each lick, every time Will felt teeth skim against his skin it was like a shot of pure ecstasy into his veins.

          Just as Nico’s tongue swirled playfully around his navel Will felt nibble fingers peek under the waistband of his shorts and boxers. “Nic” Will began to plead. He found himself looking down at Nico kneeling in front of him surprised that Nico was gazing back. They somehow become locked, neither able to look away from the others. Even as Nico slowly worked Will’s shorts and boxers over Will’s hips and thighs he never looked away.

          Will was left standing exposed and naked except for the typical soccer footwear. The locker room air felt cold and damp and somehow made his skin feel hotter as he shivered. Every cell of his being was suddenly a hundred times more desperate for Nico’s touch. And Nico still gazed up at him with hungry eyes.

          When Nico’s hands came to his thighs, messaging muscular flesh Will’s breath hitched. Nico’s dark eyes finally broke their gaze but only briefly. He saw how they flicked toward Will’s erection, the tip of which already glistened with pre-cum. When his dark eyes met Will’s again, Nico licked his lips and  _hummed_  with arousal. “Oh gods Nic taste me…. _please_.” he whined with desperation.

          Nico smirked up at him “You beg so pretty” he retorted cockily. Will wanted to protest but before he could really thing of the words, or words in general he watched Nico lean in and lick the tip of his dick slowly. The motion was so lewd, and Nico maintained eye contact with Will until Will couldn’t take watching any longer and throw his head back. When the warm wetness of Nico’s tongue was gone Will heard Nico hum with pleasure. It was like Will tasted really,  _really_  good.

          Nico licked up another bead of pre-cum by dragging his tongue slowly over Will’s sensitive cock tip. “Dear gods, you’re evil!” Will cried with pleasure at the sensation and frustration that it was so short-lived. “That’s not fair.”

          “Do you me to stop?” Nico asked innocently.

          “No” Will all but cried at the thought “I want more Nico, please.”

          “Good” Nico purred and Will felt his breath on his manhood. “Because you taste  _so_  good.”

          Will whimpered wordlessly at that, dream Nico had a dirty mouth. Maybe real life Nico did too, and Will just didn’t know because all the dirty talk was in Italian. It didn’t matter, nothing mattered as Will felt Nico’s full lips wrap around his girth. Nico sucked and licked at his tip, moaning every time he lapped up another drop of pre-cum.

            Will finally managed to disentangle his fingers from the lockers behind him so he could tangle them in Nico’s hair. He tightened his grip there as Nico started taking more of him into the warmth of his mouth. If Will’s tight grasp did anything at all to Nico it was to egg him on. He moaned halfway down Will’s length and started swirling his tongue around his girth.

            “Oh gods help me!” Will cried with pleasure. Nico’s mouth was  _warm_  and  _wet_  and his moan vibrated through his core it all felt so  _good_. It was what Nico was doing with his tongue that was already threatening to put him over the edge. Will’s knees felt weak and he could feel his toes curling in his cleets.

            Nico’s hands tightened their grip on Will’s hips becoming almost bruising. The son of Apollo would have complained but Nico chose that moment to take in his entire length, pulling Will’s manhood into his throat and  _swallowed_. “NICO!”

          Will could feel Nico’s throat working around him, it was just…..DEAR GOD! That wasn’t a dream thing either, Nico could actually do that. Usually when he did Will couldn’t help but cum hard at the sensation, especially when he was already so far gone. The fact that he hadn’t was a favor of the dream for which Will was thankful.

          Nico pulled back for a moment and returned to bobbing his head up and down the majority of Will’s length. He kept swirling his tongue in that way that drove Will crazy with pleasure. Nico fell into this unpredictable rhythm that left Will’s wordless and panting. Right when Will thought he knew what to expect Nico would take him into his throat and swallow around him.

          Will was going to die this way he was positive of it and completely okay with it. He moaned and cried shamelessly as Nico made him feel indescribable pleasure. He could get lost in that feeling, it was like Elysium was a moment and not a place. What stopped him was the burning desire to make Nico feel as good as he did. It didn’t matter that it was a dream Will always wanted to make Nico feel good.

          Will released Nico’s hair and groped blindly at Nico’s sculpted shoulder in an attempt to single Nico to stop. Words would have probably been more effective but at the moment the only words he could manage were likely something along the lines of “Dear gods, please don’t stop.” which was kind of the opposite of what he was trying to say. Nico seemed to understand anyway and released Will’s length with an obscene, wet ‘pop’ sound.

          No longer being driven into a frenzy by the wet heat of Nico’s mouth and the dangers of his tongue Will could manage coherent thought. He grasped Nico by the shoulders and pulled him to feet. His boyfriend's lips were quickly pressed against his own. Nico's tongue probing against his lips hungrily. Will groaned and opened his mouth to allow Nico entrance. His talented tongue licking possessively at the insides of his mouth.

          Will was happy to meet Nico’s hungry kisses with his own as he fumbled with to undo Nico’s belt. He actually managed it with little enough which must have been a dream thing because Will never managed Nico’s belt that easily. He wasn’t going to complain as he pushed Nico’s pants and tight briefs down his legs. He did growl with frustration when Nico’s clothes snagged on something below his knees.

          Nico laughed against his lips “Boots Will.”

          “Wouldn’t be a problem if you didn’t insist on wearing clothes.” Will grumbled as he moved to his knees. He was careful to keep his eyes downcast as he moved. Will didn’t trust himself to catch sight of Nico’s erect manhood and not start salivating. He made quick, and rough work of unlacing Nico’s boots “Especially difficult clothes.”

          Nico laughed again as he stared to toe off his boots. “I don’t want to come across too easy.”

         Will looked up, he should not have looked up. Nico’s erection was heavy and dripping and  _dear god_  it was the picture of temptation. Will couldn’t take his eyes of him, off of parts of him. “Do you still want….?”

          Will just barely made out Nico’s smile as thin fingers began to run through his hair. When Nico reached the base of his skull his fingers tightened and he practically pulled him to his feet. Nico’s grip forced him into a hard kiss, not that Will minded. When Nico pulled back he was grinning “I do, tasting you only made me want it more.”

          Will growled at that, because  _Oh My God_! He moved forward and pressed his lips against Nico’s hard. The stumbled backward once again as Nico kicked off the last of his clothes. Will’s hands roamed down Nico’s body possessively. Nico’s naked body was perfection and a dream rolled up into one. Nico keened when Will’s hands began kneading at the muscular lobes of his perfect backside. Nico’s ass was the thing of epic poetry, how Will ever stopped touching it was the question.

          Nico broke away from the kiss “Will  _please_!”

          Will placed a kiss on Nico’s cheek before nipping at his jaw. “You beg so pretty.” he teased as he continued to knead at the flesh of Nico’s supple buttocks.

          Nico moaned and his fingers tangled in his hair once again. Will was surprised when Nico pulled at his hair hard. Will reluctantly paused in his efforts to mark his boyfriend’s graceful neck to meet his dark eyes. “That doesn’t mean I should have too.” Nico’s words were spoken softly but his eyes were filled with need.

          “You’re right” Will agreed moving his hands a little lower to grip Nico’s thighs. Gripping tightly, he heaved Nico’s whole frame upward until Nico’s well-sculpted legs where wrapped around his waist. Nico threw his arms around Will's neck for support. “You are far too pretty to beg.”

          “Is that so?” Nico questioned with an intense look in his eyes; intense and teasing.

          “Gods yes” Will replied with a wide grin.

          Nico looked at him and challenge flared in his eyes “Prove it.”

          “Gladly” Will retorted. Their lips meet in another hungry kiss as Will carried Nico backward until he reached the sinks. Once there he brought Nico to rest on one of them. Nico kept his hands wrapped his Will’s neck for support but the position allowed Will’s hands to wonder. And wonder his hands did, roaming down Nico’s body possessively.

          When their lips broke apart both were breathing heavily. Nico was wearing the most mischievous smirk. Will’s eyes stayed locked on Nico’s, wondering if his own were filled with such desire, as his hand roamed bare skin. His fingers traced the dips and curves of muscle as well as the ridges of scars as he found them. Nico’s hands feel from around Will’s neck, fingers caressing their way down Will’s arms. One hand stopped at his bicep and gripped there, while the other continued down his arm. He continued all the way down to Will’s wrist and wrapped his long fingers around the circumference. 

          Softly Nico coaxed Will’s hand up, off his hip. Will watched memorized as Nico brought his hand to his mouth and pulled two of his fingers in. “Nic” Will groaned as he felt Nico suck and lick his digits.

          Nico moaned around Will’s fingers. He tightened his grasp on Will’s shoulder as he rolled his hips forward.  Nico’s motions brought Nico’s hardness rubbing against Will's own causing them both to moan.

          Will followed his moan with a growl and bowed his head to bit and kiss at Nico’s neck. Nico moaned his approval as he continued to lick and suck at Will’s fingers. He groaned at the motions of Nico’s tongue and the thoughts of how they would feel elsewhere.

          Will released the grip he hadn’t realized he had on Nico’s hip and moved his hand between them. He wrapped his fist around Nico’s erection, not too tightly but still enough to elicit a whimper from the smaller boy. He started stroking slowly, pausing at the tip to swirl his thumb against the wet sensitive area. Nico whimpered and whined with every motion as he continued to do the most pornographic, lewd things with his tongue on Will’s fingers.

          Will kept marking at Nico’s throat as his stroked him at a tortuously slow pace until Nico’s thighs were quivering. When Will pulled away from the dark cluster of marks he had made to meet Nico’s gaze. He could only smile triumphantly at the desperate need he found in Nico’s eyes. His fingers slipped from Nico’s mouth and Will pressed his lips hard against Nico’s. He moved his spit slick fingers downward ready to probe Nico’s tight entrance but then the strangest thing happened. The world seemed to tilt and ripple. The sensation of Nico’s skin faded, and his vision blurred until he was brought back to inky blackness.

          As the dream slipped away Will became aware of another body, smaller then his own, and shaking next to him on the bed: Nico

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh smut
> 
> So not a whole lot to say here. I hope you enjoyed, comments and Kudos are always appreciated. 
> 
> I will see you all on Sunday for a very long chapter of Normal Lives.


	17. Explanation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Wednesday,
> 
> I have this distinct memory of posting this chapter this morning but clearly I didn't.
> 
> Also, when I went to edit this chapter I realized I haven't worked on Outtakes in weeks, and this is the last chapter I currently have written. I'm going to have to fix that.
> 
> So this chapter would be Will and Nico's phone call after Will's caught them sleeping naked. I think its clear once you read it.

          The school day was half over Will told himself. He just kept reminding himself of that the day was moving until it was over and he could go home. Nico was waiting for him at home which was such a surreal thought he felt a little high off it.

          It was half-way through the day and Will was walking to lunch which meant he was supposed to call Nico. Knowing his boyfriend, Nico was probably freaking out about this morning. Will hoped his note help keep Nico at least a little calm but he doubted it would have much effect. Not that he could blame him, Will couldn’t really imagine what he would do if the situation was reversed.

          Will was all but itching with the desire to call Nico. What was currently stopping him was the crowded hallways. It would be beyond impossible for him to find a quiet corner to call Nico from at this point. He figured he would follow his friends to lunch, set down his stuff and then duck out when the halls were a bit quieter. Until then all he had to do was not think about it.

          Not thinking about it was a lot easier said than done when _Aunt Naomi caught Will naked in bed with his boyfriend_ had become Dean’s literal favorite story. Currently he was regaling Felix with the tale, which, in fairness, Felix was the only one left to be told.

          Felix was largely ignoring Will’s existence as he discussed Will’s misfortune with Will’s cousin. Normally Will would find it annoying but currently he was too distracted to care. “So let me get this straight.” Felix questioned Dean “Your aunt caught them having sex.”

          “Yup” Dean replied with a grin.

          “We were not having sex.” Will corrected. It wasn’t the first time he had to make that specific correction. Dean had taken to embellishing the story for dramatic flare. “And I’m right here.” He pointed out.

          “Fine, they weren’t having sex.” Dean corrected with a huff like Will’s interruption was the real problem. Will had the burning desire to point out his cousin was gossiping like a twelve-year-old girl right now. Dean started talking again and Will missed his chance. “They were just naked in bed together.”

          The three of them stepped into the cafeteria and walked toward their normal table. Wash and Watts were already sitting there. “So pretty much she caught them having sex?” Felix clarified sounding amused.

          Gods, they were talking about this so causally, and so loudly. Will could have sworn a few people’s heads turned in their direction as Felix spoke. “If you insist on discussing my personal life can you at least keep your voice down.” Will hissed as he dropped his bag in one chair and his self in another.

          “What are we talking about?” Watts asked. He took one look at Will’s face and answered his own question. “Oh we’re still talking about Will’s morning sexy time.”

          “Again with the loudness.” Will complained “Would you at least attempt to keep my private life a little private.”

          “What are you worried about?” Wash asked seriously.

          “Isn’t it obvious?” Watts laughed “He’s already the school’s gay kid, he doesn’t want to be the school slut too.”

          Will throw up his hands up, it was a bit more complicated than that. Or maybe it wasn’t anything more than that. Being the school’s “gay kid” already came with its own collection of problems. Somehow, he had a feeling being the 'sexually active gay kid' would be more complicated.

          “Oh dude you’re safe, that only applies to girls.” Wash declared dismissively. Will wanted to point out that if his girlfriend was here Wash wouldn’t be talking about the double-standard between sexually active guys and girls so casually. He kept the comment to himself. “If you’re a guy getting some it just ups your cool factor.”

          “Fantastic” Will huffed sarcastically.

          “Hey, I’m still trying to get this straight.” Felix stated directing the attention back to himself. Gods forbid Felix not be the center of attention. He spoke to Dean, even though, again, this was about Will’s life, because, well why not. “They got caught naked in bed and instead of punishing him your aunt has just decided to let them openly bunk up?”

          “Talk about parenting goals, right?” Watts commented.

          “I know I was a bit surprised by that move myself.” Dean admitted “Don’t get me wrong, Aunt Naomi is pretty cool but this is a bit more lenient parent than is typical.” Dean wasn’t wrong there, this was not Will’s mom’s normal behavior. But Dean didn’t know the whole story either.

          “I thought she is one of the hardest teachers in the school?” Felix commented.

          “Oh she is” Wash shook his head rapidly in agreement “Had her when I first transferred here.”

          “After you got kicked out of your last school” Watts reminded with a grin. Wash had attended catholic school until a few years ago when he got expelled. He had gotten caught in a compromising position in the school’s chapel with the headmaster’s daughter. For some reason Watts didn’t let Wash forget it. It was especially ironic considering that Watts had been kicked out of a different catholic school the same year after he got caught drinking on campus. Maybe the difference was Wash was embarrassed while Watts didn’t seem to care.

          “Yes, then” Wash hissed with a glare in Watts direction before he added. “I barely passed that semester.”

          “You also barely did homework.” Will pointed out to explain Wash’s barely passing.

          “Whatever” Wash dismissed. “The point being I felt truly blessed to be transferred to a different class when I joined the soccer team.” Since both Will and Dean were on the soccer team his mom had requested that none of the players be put in her classes. It was a whole avoiding multiple relationships thing.

          “So pretty much what I’m hearing is Will found himself in an awkward situation that should have resulted large amounts of trouble.” Felix began to sum up. “And instead of getting in trouble something good happened instead.” Felix looked around at the others with a baffled expression. “I can’t be the only one that finds that annoying.”

          “There were mitigating circumstances” Will defended losing steam about halfway through the statement. He didn’t exactly plan on explaining what those circumstances were. He figured that it would be best to just keep his mouth shut.

          “Sure there was” Felix rolled his eyes over dramatically. “Because there is always something with that makes things go your way.”

          “Dude, seriously stop being a dick.” Dean half-laughed as he nudged Felix shoulder. Will didn’t understand why Dean bothered, it never seemed to have any effect.

          Honestly the concept that Will always got his way was so absurd it was laughable. He had lost two brothers (and a number of other siblings he hadn’t been as close to), been through three major demigod battles, and been attacked by countless monsters. “Things don’t always go my way.” He stated.

          “Yeah, of course you don’t.” Felix retorted skeptically.

          “I really don’t.” Will insisted with a growing sense of irritation at Felix’ assertions. “But I don’t have time to argue with you about this.” He stated grabbing his phone out of his bag and pushing himself out of his chair. “I’m going to call Nico, I told him I would and he’s probably completely panicked.”

          He left his friends (and Felix) in the cafeteria, likely still talking about Will’s personal life. He would hope they would have something of greater interest for them to discuss but he doubted it.

          The school’s rules were no students were to leave the cafeteria during their lunch period. There was also a no cell phone rule. Several staff members saw Will step out and said nothing, it was one of the perks of being an athlete in a small school. The rules were just different. Will normally didn’t take advantage but for this he was fine with it.

          Will found a quiet corner, which wasn’t hard now that the halls were empty. He pressed his back against the wall and pulled up Nico’s number on his phone. He dialed and listen to it ring that strange ring it does when the person you were calling was already on the line. Nico must have called someone like Jason or Percy to help himself remain calm. He considered hanging up and letting Nico call him back when he was done with his conversation. Before he could move the phone the ringing stopped. Nico answered speaking quickly. “Will, I’m so glad you finally called and I’m so glad I don’t have to continue that conversation”

          “Hey Pretty Boy, I’m glad to hear your voice.” Will declared with a bit of a smile. He couldn’t really help it, he was talking to Nico, and Nico was at his house only a few miles away. He would get home in a few hours and Nico would be there, in person. The whole thing made Will beyond happy. “Who were you talking to?” He asked curiously.

          “Percy” Nico offered casually. The was a stretch of silence and the longer it lasted the more Will could feel Nico’s anxiety. When Nico let out a nervous puff of air, Will was almost relieved until Nico started talking. His voice sad and unsure, Will hated hearing him that way. “Will, should I go back to camp? Your mom is probably so upset with me, I should go back to camp.”

          “Nico breath” Will faked a laugh in hopes of easing the tension. He did smile a bit when he heard Nico take a shuttered breath on the other end of the line. “You don’t need to go back to camp, my mom isn’t mad at you.” He assured honestly “She’s a little mad at me but she loves you.”

          “Why would she be mad at you?” Nico questioned with clear confusion “Will, I was the one who climbed in bed with you, the whole thing was my fault.”

          “Yeah but I took advantage of you while you were in a _vulnerable state_.” He explained. It was almost funny, very few people would ever describe Nico as vulnerable, ever. Will knew Nico could have his moments, and just hide it well. He shrugged away the thought because now really wasn’t the time for that kind of conversation. “It was very ungentlemanly of me and mom is very disappointed.” It was a joke, or it was met to be but it fell flat.

          His mom really wasn’t wrong. Nico had crawled into his bed shaking from a nightmare- and Nico didn’t scare easy- looking for comfort and instead of just being there to comfort him Will let his libido get in the way. Will didn't consider it one of his finest moments. “I get it, I really was raised better but you are just so tempting.”

          Nico sighed and this time it wasn’t a sad sigh it was an annoyed one. Most people probably wouldn’t agree but annoyed Nico was better than panicked Nico. “Will, I’m confused.”

          “All I’m saying is that everything is fine.” Will reassured. He had been hoping to keep the details about how exactly that had happened to himself. Nico wasn’t going to like it, that Will had told his mother about some of the things Nico had been through. Nico didn’t like to talk about it. It wasn’t the healthiest way to deal with emotional trauma but it wasn’t an uncommon on among demigods either. “And you don’t have to sleep on the couch anymore so really I think we should call the whole thing a win.” _There you go_ , Will thought, _put a positive spin on it and maybe Nico wouldn’t question it_.

          “Still confused” Nico pointed out with annoyance “Why isn’t your mom mad at me, and why don’t I have to sleep on the couch?” He questioned much to Will’s disappointment. “More importantly why does your mom think I was in a _vulnerable state_.” Nico hissed the last two words with more disdain then Will had ever heard him muster.

          Will sighed and squirmed. He looked around like someone might be eavesdropping on his conversation even though he knew the hall was empty. “Promise me you won’t be mad?”

          “Oh Will,” Nico declared “I already don’t like the sounds of this.”

          Will huffed as he realized he was just going to tell Nico what he did and deal with the subsequent anger. “It’s just mom kind of freaked a little when she found us, because we were you know….”

          “Naked” Nico supplied flatly. Clearly the memory wasn’t far from his mind.

          “Yeah,” Will shrugged, that was how she had found them. The only thing that had saved them from true embarrassment was a sheet. “She wanted an explanation and I tried give the vague kind but that wasn’t really working.” Kind of like the vague kind of explanation wasn’t working on Nico here. “And then she wanted to wake you up and I knew how you would react and I really didn’t want you to leave.” He admitted. Maybe the panic that read in his voice would help his cause. “Nico it’s been so hard with you in New York and me here.” The was probably the biggest understatement of all time. Will was including the time Chiron described the Roman Legion surrounding camp as “a minor issue”. The distance was near impossible to deal with. Will was sure he was becoming the most paranoidly possessive boyfriend in history. He felt like he overreacted to everything. He found himself jealous of Austin at times because he actually got to spent time with Nico. “So I explained some of the stuff you’ve been through so that she’d understand what I meant when I said you had a nightmare.”

          “Will!” Nico growled his name. Normally he liked when Nico said his name, especially when he said it so loudly because it was usually during sex and accompanied by an orgasm. This was not normally and the sound made Will’s blood run cold.

          “Nic,” Will meant to sound reassuring but he sounded like a whine “it’s really not that big of a deal.”

          “I should go back to camp” Nico declared sounding resigned. It was like Will’s heart was getting ripped out. “This was a bad idea.”

          “No, Nic please!” Will pleaded “I’m begging here, don’t go.”

          “The way she’s going to look at me….I…..I can’t” Nico stated.

          Nico never said why he didn’t like to tell people about his past, Will just assumed. This was the first time he had even hinted to the reason. Will didn’t want to push, that never worked with Nico, but he didn’t want to let the bit of information go either. “How is she going to look at you?” He asked gently.

          “Like I’m broken.” Nico whispered so softly Will could just barely make out the word. The silence hung heavy for a moment before Nico spoke again. This time Will had no difficulty making out the words as they were spoken with force. “I’m not broken Will!”

          “Nico, I know that” Will replied trying to keep his own tone calm and reassuring. “But you’ve been through stuff, it’s okay not to be okay all the time.” He knew that wasn’t what Nico was looking to hear right now but it was the truth. Will had had his own difficulties, after the battle of the Labyrinth and the battle of Manhattan. So many demigods had died, people Will had known, people Will wasn’t able to save. That stuff was nothing compared to what Nico had gone through he was sure but at least he felt like he had an idea. His own experiences had helped him help other campers at least. “That doesn’t make you broken it makes you human.”

          “Will, I can’t talk about this right now.” Nico declared firmly and dismissively. “Can we just do this when you get home?”

          Will sighed as he recognized that the conversation was over. “Will you be there?” he questioned.

          “I promised not to run out on a fight again.” Nico reminded him. “I promised on the river Styx remember?” Nico’s voice softened a bit when he spoke again. “I’ll be here.”

          Will knew things weren’t okay but he believed Nico when he said he wasn’t going anywhere. “I love you.”

          Nico let out a heavy sigh on the other end of the line. “I love you too.”

          As the hung up Will thought about how badly he needed the school day to be over. It may have been the first time in his life he seriously considered skipping classes. He tucked his phone into his back pocket and walked back into the cafeteria. He dropped himself heavily into his chair and pushed away the food that had appeared in front of his seat.

          “So how’s the boy toy?” Dean questioned with a large grin as he appeared to steal Felix’ grapes and popping one in his mouth. Felix wasn’t complaining which was odd because Felix was always complaining. Will had his own stuff on his mind, he couldn’t be bothered to care about Felix.

          Wash replied for Will clearly amused. “Dude, he’s probably tired from the rough sex.” Will groaned at that, they really never going to that go. Will shows up with one bruise and all his friends jumped on the rough sex train. Will could argue they were wrong. Sure he and Nico had sex but it wasn’t rough. Will couldn’t really imagine getting rough with Nico, he couldn’t imagine Nico liking that sort of thing.

          “Right, but besides that” Dean commented taking on a more serious tone. “Freak out averted?”

          “Not even remotely” Will sighed before he questioned mournfully “Why don’t things ever go my way?” He dropped his head to the table and groaned loudly at his misfortune.

          “It’s not that bad.” Dean insisted. Will could feel him pressing a package of some kind of food stuff against his hand. “Now eat, you’ll need the calories for practice.”

          “Forget practice” Watts declared not bothering to look up form his own lunch. “Dude you’re going to need the calories for the make-up sex.”

          "I hate all of you, you are horrible friends." Will groaned without real heat to the words. He pushed his head up from the table and grabbed the bag of chips Dean had pushed at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed!


	18. Observations and Protection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good morning and Happy Wednesday,
> 
> This chapter got away from me a bit so it's long- Yay for you as readers.
> 
> Also SMUT WARNING this chapter contains smut (I'm serious it's smutty because that is apparently what people need on a Wednesday). If you would like to avoid the smut stop reading after they get called down for dinner. 
> 
> This takes place after Nico first met Will's friends and before the thanksgiving chapters.

It had gone better than Will had thought was possible. It hadn’t been prefect, not by a long shot, but everyone had survived (minus Eric’s nose). Nico hadn’t shadow-travelled to a galaxy far, far away. Will was counting it as a win, even if there was now a real risk that Nico would be arrested for assault.

They caught a ride him with Dean and Felix, more because Dean insisted than actually wanting it. Will would have been fine with walking, the café was close to his house. And he knew Nico really didn’t like cars, the sitting still with nothing to do but look out the window made him feel antsy.

Neither of them talked much on the ride. Will was too tired from the stress of the café, and Nico seemed content to watch and listen to Dean and Felix bicker. Will didn’t get it but it wasn’t a novel experience for him. When Dean dropped them off, he and Felix were still bickering and Will wasn’t even sure about what at that point. It was something about the best take-out food and the value of eggrolls.

When they got back to the house Will’s mom was already home and busy in the kitchen making dinner. As soon as they walked in the door Nico hummed approvingly at the smell of food. Will shoved down his disappointment. It wasn’t that he didn’t want a delicious home-cooked meal, he had just been hoping for a little alone time with Nico.

As freaked out as Will was by the fact that Nico had broken the sheriff’s son’s nose he couldn’t help the other, more instinctive, feeling it had stirred in him. Nico had moved so swiftly, so decisively it had been incredibly hot. Since it had happened part of Will’s brain wouldn’t stop running through scenarios where A) He was “thanking” (thanking = doing extremely sexual things) Nico for coming to his defense or B) Nico using his swift and decisive moves on him is the sexiest way possible. The fantasies were nice but reality was always better. Will wanted the reality of Nico’s skin against his own but he knew that was almost impossible with his mom home.

“Dinner is going to be another ten minutes or so” His mother called from the kitchen instead of saying hi.

“Okay” Will called back as he silently steered Nico toward the stairs and his bedroom. “We’re just going to hang out in my room until dinner.”

“Alright, I’ll call when it’s ready” She replied “Remember the door stays _open_.”

“Yup” Will agreed as he pushed Nico up the stairs ignoring how Nico was glaring at him “The door will be open.”

Nico’s glare faded quickly and he seemed downright content when he dropped himself on Will’s bed. “I like your friends” Nico stated softly.

“Really?” Will questioned skeptically. He took a seat at the other end of the bed, giving Nico his space for the moment. Honestly, he didn’t trust himself to sit too close to Nico at this point- He would probably jump Nico midsentence. He shrugged and tried to keep things casual- there was no need for Nico to know how eager he was. “I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t.” He admitted. His school friends were great but he didn’t think of them as Nico’s type of people “I know they can be a lot.”

Nico grinned as he made himself more comfortable at the head of the bed, leaning back in to Will’s pillows. “Since you and everybody else left camp my primary source of social contact has been Austin, Cecil, and Mitchell.” Nico reminded. “You want a lot, hang out with Austin and Mitchell on set for a few hours.” That statement gave Will mixed feelings. He wanted Nico to have friends, to have social contact. He just wished he choose to spend his time with people who were a little less…. _sexual_? Nico shrugged and Will was jarred from his own thoughts. “Besides I figure Jason, Percy, and everybody had to be a lot for you at first too.”

Will hadn’t thought about it that way “Well yeah,” He admitted “I guess they were a bit intimidating in the beginning.”

“See, so it’s only fair that I try” Nico stated before poking at Will’s foot with his socked foot. He was wearing another pair of designer socks and Will still didn’t have the nerve to point it out. But he kind of loved it- his boyfriend who couldn’t care less about clothes was wearing designer socks of all things. It was almost laughable. “They were nice, just like you described them really.” Nico offered before scrunching his face in a cute confused expression. “Although I don’t know why Nora reminds you of Annabeth.”

Will laughed a little. He guessed he understood his confusion. The bubbly girl Nico had met wasn’t very Annabeth Chase-like. “Believe it or not she’s a genius” he informed. After all Nora was on the fast track to being the valedictorian for their class.

“When she’s not trying to pet people?” Nico questioned skeptically.

“Yeah, pretty much” Will shrugged. He really didn’t know how to excuse Nora’s bad behavior.

Nico was quiet for a moment as he wore a thoughtful expression. “Dean’s more… I don’t know serious than you described”

It was Will’s turn to make a face. He would use a lot of words to describe his cousin but serious wasn’t’ really one of them. “You think?”

“Hmm” Nico hummed and nodded in the affirmative. “I like him though, he seems to really care.”

“Well with how his dad is we grew up more like brothers than cousins.” Will didn’t plan to go into detail. It was Dean’s story to tell not his and he didn’t want feel right telling it. For his part Nico didn’t ask, which Will appreciated more than he could express. “We both have our overprotective moments I guess.”

Nico took a moment to process what Will had said before he moved on. “Felix is pretty much like you described.”

“Yeah, sorry about that” Will winced. He wished Felix hadn’t been there. It should have been just his actual friends. “I think Dean invited him”

Nico started at him critically for what felt like an eternity. When he finally did speak it was nothing like Will had thought. “You know he has a thing for Dean, right?” Nico asked seriously.

“What!?!” No!” Will sputtered, his mind spun at the suggestion. He couldn’t completely process what Nico was saying it was so beyond his understanding of reality. “Why would you think that?” he asked staring at his boyfriend with a complete lose. He couldn’t imagine where Nico could have possibly gotten that insane idea.

Nico shrugged like it was nothing “It’s kind of obvious.” he stated which explained absolutely nothing. “It’s in the air between them if that makes sense”

Will blinked at his boyfriend laying back on his bed. He knew his brain should be thinking about fun things not about some asshole having a crush on his cousin. “I think you’ve been spending too much time with Mitchell.” He declared flatly.

“Probably” Nico admitted. “It’s just the way Felix is, the way he looks at Dean when he thinks no one’s looking. I know that look, what it means.” He explained seriously.

“Felix isn’t gay” Will stated numbly. It was an idiotic thing to say and he knew it but it was the only thing he could think of. Although he actually didn’t know what Felix was, he had just kind of assumed. He didn’t really want someone like Felix making a bad name for his sexual identity. But he could have sworn he had heard Felix and Dean talking about girls, he just couldn’t be sure. He usually zoned out during those conversations now that he didn’t feel like he had to fake interest so he didn’t know if Felix actually participated.

“Yes” Nico stated sarcastically with a heavy eye roll. “because human sexuality is a strictly binary system.”

“Don’t get sassy deathboy” Will huffed. He wanted to be annoyed but he just couldn’t do it. His boyfriend, the same guy who had barely just come to terms with his own sexuality was going to lecture him on human sexuality. It was so bizarre it was laughable. He felt himself grin. “You know what that does to me.” He pointed out suggestively. His brain getting back on the right track- Nico was sprawled out on his bed and they were alone.

Nico laughed and Will’s heart literally skipped a beat at the beautiful sound. “Will, everything makes you horny. Your impossible that way.”

“Not everything makes me horny,” Will defended playfully. He shifted on the bed and started to crawl closer to Nico “just everything about you”

Will ended up looming over Nico as the brunet rolled his eyes at him in pretend annoyance. Will could tell it was pretend because Nico was trying to hide his own grin by biting at his bottom lip. Nico looked good like that, laying on the bed under Will.

Oh yeah, Will’s brain was officially back on the right track. He leaned down slowly and pressed his lips against Nico’s. Under him the son of Hades sighed contently before kissing Will back. The started slow and soft and it was incredibly nice. Their lips worked together in a familiar way as they shared breath.

They continued to kiss as Will shifted so he was holding himself up on one elbow. His body was pressed tightly against his boyfriend’s small frame. He could feel Nico’s hands running up his arms and down his back in a lazy motion. With his free hand Will started exploring Nico’s side, his shoulder, his firm stomach, anything had access too.

He wasn’t really aware of things becoming more heated until Nico's and his own touches could no longer be called caresses. They were pawing at each other like they need the touches to survive. They both were breathing heavily as they kissed each other with need.

Will shift again slightly so that his thigh was pressed between Nico’s legs applying pressure to his groin. Nico gasped against Will’s lips and Will couldn’t help but grin. He loved when he managed to get Nico to gasp, and the feeling of Nico’s hardness against his thigh was a bonus. He applied a bit more pressure with his thigh and was rewarded for his efforts. Nico gasped more loudly before letting his head lull back, exposing his graceful throat.

Will took advantage of the exposed skin by bowing his head and moving to kiss along the curve of Nico’s throat. He felt Nico’s hands grip at the back of his t-shirt “Will, the door.” Nico whined causing Will to pause. The son of Apollo lifted his head and took in the image of his boyfriend. Nico’s already full lips looked bee stung from kissing. His typically pale face was flush and his already dark eyes were liquid twilight with lust. His eyebrows were knotted together in a look of frustration. “Your mom” Nico whined with finality.

“Right” Will sighed with resignation. After his mom had discovered them naked Nico had been horrified by the thought of her catching them in the act. Will understood the fear. They didn’t exactly have what could be considered the best track record when it came to that. Nico’s fear hadn’t stopped them from having sex but it did severely limit what Nico was willing to do, and when. “Sorry” He apologized as he moved off Nico.

The brunet sat up so his back was against the headboard. He pulled his knees up a little in an attempt to hide his remaining excitement. Nico wasn’t the only with that problem, Will moved back to the other end of the bed and took up a similar posture as his boyfriend.

Nico huffed and pushed his fingers though his hair with brutal efficiency. “So you really don’t see it?” He asked carefully not actually looking at Will.

Will didn’t take offense, he knew what Nico was doing. His boyfriend was trying to fight off his own arousal. Apparently looking at Will wouldn’t help with that. It was actually flattering and Will would have been happy to grin cockily and point it out. Unfortunately, he had no idea what Nico was talking about which was a problem “See what?” He questioned his voice still sounding labored.

“That Felix has a crush on Dean” Nico explained with a huff like it was obvious. Sure that might have been the last thing they had been talking about before they had started making out but then they had started making out. Will was positive that that was a cognitive reset button.

Well, Will didn’t know about Nico’s arousal but his was _gone_ with that question. He sighed. “No, I mean Felix is just so abrasive”

“Yes, cause that has anything to do with anything.” Nico declared sarcastically.

“I don’t know, I guess I’ve never really thought about Felix’ sexuality” Will stated resisting the urge to gag. He didn’t want to think about Felix sexuality. He actually felt dirty saying _Felix_ and _sexuality_ in the same sentence. “But I guess I would figure him for asexual, he certainly doesn’t seem to care if people likes him”

“I’m pretty sure that’s not what being asexual means” Nico scoffed. Will knew he was right, and was being a bit of a dick to suggest that just cause Felix was an insufferable person he was asexual.

Demigods were a pretty sexually diverse bunch as a whole. While none of Will’s siblings were asexual as far as he was aware it was still represented at camp. As far as he knew it wasn’t uncommon among children of Ares or Athena, and that was just the main cabins. But here he was again getting a lesson in human sexuality from his boyfriend who was born in the 1920s. He wondered when Nico had become an expert on the subject.

Nico shifted back a bit and his posture loosened. The linger sexual tension seemed to drain form the moment and he looked at Will again. “And if you pay attention, he tries at least with Dean he tries to be nice”

“They bicker constantly” Will argued.

“I didn’t say he was good at it” Nico pointed out before adding seriously. “But he tries”

“Doesn’t matter if he does,” Will stated dismissively “Dean’s straight”

“Right” Nico replied skeptically.

“He is!” Will defended “He would have told me if he was questioning.”

Nico corked his head to the side and looked at Will in awe before he asked. “Like you told him?”

Will didn’t’ get what Nico was saying right away. He was distracted from all this weird information “Yeah” He declared and then it clicked. He realized Nico was baiting him, making reference to all the years Will had kept his own sexuality a secret. “Oh that’s just mean!”

Nico grinned at him victoriously “It’s just you make the cutest faces when your all focused and concerned.” he teased.

“Is that so?” Will asked in the same playful tone as he once again moved up the bed. Nico didn’t protest, instead he once again laid back letting Will move up his body. “You know I can make you make cute faces too.”

“Will I’m the son of Hades, I’ve told you before I don’t do cute.” Nico replied dismissively.

“Is that so?” Will questioned grinning down at his incredibly sexy boyfriend.

“Yup” Nico replied exaggerating the pop sound of the p. He wiggled slightly under Will, just enough to remind him that Nico was in fact under him.

Will leaned down slowly until his lips were just about to brush up against his ear. He enjoyed how his hot breath caused Nico to shiver beneath him. He parted his lips and prepared to whisper something suggestive about the faces he could get Nico to make. Really there were a wealth of possibilities there.

Any words died in Will’s throat as his mother’s voice called up the stairs. “Boys! Dinner!”

They both jumped rather dramatically at the sound of his mom’s voice and Will almost ended up on the floor. After exchanging sheepish grins they seemed to come to a silent agreement- _to be continued_.

Dinner was nice, even if Will was 50% sure the police was going to show up at any moment to arrest his boyfriend for assault. It was a pleasant surprise when everything was quiet. After dinner they spent as much time as seemed necessary with his mother before making weak excuses about why they were going to bed early.

The door had to be left open even when they slept which Will thought was beyond stupid. It wasn’t like his mom could even lie to herself and say that he and Nico hadn’t already had sex so what was the point of the show? Will wasn’t actually going to say any of that to his mother, instead he shut the door as much as he could and still call it open. He plugged his godly iphone into his portable speaker and put on a playlist of soft (and hopefully romantic) music.

Nico scuffed at the first sounds of music calling Will a “nerd” but seemed to move a little bit more quickly into his night clothes. Will hated that Nico insisted on wearing more than his briefs to bed, even if it was just a worn out t-shirt, it felt wrong. When they spent the night together at camp Nico rarely wore clothes. Will wanted to feel Nico’s skin against his own. He had already argued that point and lost (sort of). At least Nico wasn’t sleeping in sweatpants anymore.

Will couldn’t find the energy to complain when Nico crawled into bed next to him. The idea that one of them sleeping on the floor had been long forgotten, Will could count that one as a victory. They cuddled up against each other, they kissed, they talked, until they both seemed genuinely tired. Somehow they had ended up spooning with Nico playing the role of the big spoon, which Will liked more than he would probably ever admit out loud. They just typically spooned the other way due to the height difference. So big spoon Nico was a rarity in their relationship but when it did happen Will loved it. It soothed Will to his very core.

Nico’s arm was thrown lazily over his side and the feel of his body running flush against his own back was enough to make Will’s eyes to feel heavy with sleep. Will could feel the wooly blanket of sleep falling over him ready to take him at any second. Nico sighed spilling hot breath on his spine cause his whole body to shiver slightly. “Will?” He spoke softly a note of uncertainty in his voice.

Lazily Will petted Nico’s arm as he hummed his reply. “Hmm?”

Nico was quiet for a moment. It was just long enough for Will to start to wonder if his boyfriend had fallen asleep. When Nico broke the silence again his voice was still a whisper. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course” Will replied rather thoughtlessly. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t tell Nico, so he really didn’t have to think about the answer.

“And you’ll answer honestly?” Nico questioned seriously. Will started to realize that the note he was hearing in Nico’s voice wasn’t one of uncertainty, it was concern.

“Yeah pretty boy, always.” Will replied with a grin. He stopped petting Nico’s arm and gripped it. Will pulled him more tightly against himself hoping to reassure him. He couldn't think of what would have Nico worried but he wanted to give him reassurance never the less.

“What has it been like” Nico questioned nervously “since you came out at school?”

 _Oh_ , Will thought, he guessed he should have seen this coming after the whole thing with Eric. “I told you, my friends were great about it.” Will replied willfully ignoring the unspoken part of his boyfriend’s question. “You saw how they were today.”

“That’s not really what I met” Nico persisted “What about everyone else? Like at school and stuff?”

This time it was Will who lingered in silence for a long time. He wanted to stay in comfortable silence and enjoy the feel of being close but he know he couldn’t. The silence wasn’t that comfortable. He huffed as he rolled over so he could look at Nico properly. “Not completely sure what you are asking love.” He lied in hopes Nico would let the topic go.

“Like that guy today” Nico offered a look that was equal parts concern and determination in his eyes.

“Eric?” Will questioned. Of course Nico was talking about Eric, who else would he be talking about.

“Yeah, I guess” Nico gave a half shrug before looking down and away from Will’s eyes. His slender hands came to rest softly on Will’s bare chest. Even in the dark Will could make out the contrast of Nico’s pale fingers and his own tan skin. “Has it been like that, have people been like that?” The question was spoken as barely a whisper but the emotions behind it were raw and Will could hear them: concern, sadness, guilt.

Will sighed softly and moved his hand to brush a stray strain of Nico’s hair back out of his face. “His behavior isn’t the norm if that’s what you’re asking.”

“What is the norm?” Nico questioned looking up through thick lashes to meet Will’s gazed.

“I don’t know really” Will admitted. “I mean I’ve noticed that the way people look at me is different.” he let his fingers brush over Nico’s clothed shoulder. “It’s not always bad but it’s different.”

“Oh” Nico said once again looking away from Will. The son of Apollo thought he knew words but he didn’t understand how a sound that doesn’t even qualify as a word could be filled with so much guilt.

This was why he hadn’t really said anything to Nico. He knew his boyfriend too well. He knew Nico would blame himself for anything unpleasant Will experienced. “Honestly, if I were someone else I think it would be worse” Will admitted. This was something he had given some thought to, and as much as it bothered him he knew he was right. “I’m an athlete, and I’ve always hung out with the right people. I guess with that there is some social privilege. Even if people don’t approve for the most part they keep it to themselves.” Will should have been grateful for that but it bothered him. It shouldn’t have mattered who he was because it shouldn’t have mattered that he, or anyone else for that matter, was gay. He didn’t need to explain that to Nico so he shrugged. “Eric is the exception not the rule.”

“I’m sorry.” Nico apologized sincerely.

“Why?” Will questioned running his hand down Nico’s arms until his hands covered Nico’s still resting on his chest.

“I pushed you to tell people, to come out” Nico reminded “I didn’t think”

“I don’t regret it” Will stated honestly. He had to keep so many secrets because he was a demigod it was nice to have one less weighing on him. “It’s better that my friends know, it feels better.”

Nico looked up at him, his dark eyes filled with something Will couldn’t quite give a name. “Is Eric the only one who has been giving you problems?” He asked firmly.

“There are a few others but he’s the worst” Will informed simply because at this point there was no point to keep it from him. “It really hasn’t been that bad.”

“You should have said something” Nico stated firmly “You should have told me, I would have taken care of it, of them.”

“Nic,” Will tried and failed to hide his frustration at the suggestion. He knew that since he was on the mellow side compared to most demigods people joked he wasn’t much of a fighter. Will even joked that he wasn’t much of a fighter. But the truth was he had survived the Battle of the Labyrinth, the Battle of Manhattan, and the Battle of Camp Half-Blood and that wouldn’t have happened if he wasn’t more than capable of taking care of himself. He may not be as practiced at fighting as his boyfriend was but that didn’t mean he needed Nico to fight his battles for him. “I don’t need you to protect me”

“I know” Nico assured as he pushed up on the bed so he was sitting up looking down at Will. “I don’t think you’re weak, I know you’re not. I may not remember saving you during the battle of Manhattan but I remember seeing you. I know you are a capable fighter.” Nico shifted again throwing one of his legs over Will’s body so he was straddling Will hips. Nico sat back on his thighs and looked down at him with affection.

Nico had kicked off the blankets in the motion but Will didn’t think it was cold. Actually Will was suddenly finding it hard to think at all. Wasn’t he annoyed about something? Nico gazed down at him. “I also know that violence isn’t your first instinct. You have the capability to be hard but you want to be soft.” Nico paused to lean in and place a chaste kiss on Will’s lips. “I love that about you and I don’t want that to change.” Nico declared softly. “Let me be the violent one, so you don’t have to be.”

Suddenly everything felt really hot. Will couldn’t understand how Nico could be wearing a t-shirt the room was just so warm. And weren’t they talking about something serious and important? Will couldn’t really make himself focus on it. He suddenly couldn’t stop thinking about earlier in the café. The way Nico took Eric out like it was absolutely nothing, like it bored him. And the way Nico moved, with such grace it was like a dance. It really had been incredibly sexy to watch. Did that mean he had some weird damsel in distress fantasy or kink? Will wasn’t really going to worry about it at the moment.

Will brought his hands to Nico’s hips pushing under his t-shirt to run his thumbs over Nico’s hipbones. He bit his lip sheepishly “Can I tell you something?”

Nico tilted his head to one side and gazed down at Will with curiosity “What?”

“Watching you defend me like that? Like you did earlier with Eric.” Will started “It was really hot”

Even in the dim lighting Will could see Nico grin down at him. “Really?” He questioned with an amused sort of skepticism. Will didn’t reply with words because what could he really say -Dear gods yes it was sexy beyond words! He hummed and nodded his head in the affirmative. Nico’s grin widened and leaned down to place another soft kiss on Will’s lips. Pulling away Nico asked curiously. “It didn’t bother you?”

“No, it wasn’t necessary but it didn’t _bother_ me.” Will scoffed trying to at least play it a little cool. Still, he couldn’t stop thinking about the way Nico moved, it was so fluid, it was like a force of nature. “And watching you move….you are so graceful.”

“I didn’t really do much” Nico laughed a bit dismissively “It was a basic move.”

“But you made it look effortless, it was incredibly arousing.” Will admitted and squirmed a bit under Nico’s weight. The fact Nico was currently sitting in Will’s lap was also very arousing. “Same reason I couldn’t watch your sword fighting class over the summer.” He sighed at the thought. “Watching you move like that would get me so hot and bothered I couldn’t think straight.”

Nico grinned down at him wickedly “Is that so?”

“You couldn’t tell?” Will teased. Considering how the only time Nico had seen Will at one of his classes Will had dragged him from the arena because he was so overcome with lust.

“Maybe” Nico shrugged with an expression that told Will the answer was actually _yes_. “I can certainly tell the thought has gotten you worked up now.”

Will rolled his eyes and squirmed under Nico’s weight again. He was well aware of his growing arousal. “The thought, and you sitting on my lap looking so gorgeous.” Will pointed out. Considering how Nico was literally sitting on his groin his boyfriend would have been completely within his rights to be offended if Will _wasn’t_ hard. Still, Will could feel Nico’s arousal pressing against his hip bone. “And I’m not the only one worked Pretty Boy.”

Nico shrugged like it was nothing before leaning done and brushing his lips against Will’s. It was soft to start, like the others had been. Will didn’t want it to end, he wanted to kiss Nico forever. Before Nico could pull away Will brought a hand to rest on the back of Nico’s neck to hold him in the embrace.

Nico sighed against Will’s lips like Will pulling him further into their embrace was what he wanted. The passion between them built with like a steady drum beat. Soft kisses were quickly traded for exchanging hot breath, the sharp sensation of teeth, and the hungry probing of tongues. Will’s grip on Nico tightened anywhere he could touch. Nico's narrow hip, the back of his neck, anywhere to get Nico closer.

Nico met every bit of Will’s hunger, his nimble fingers roamed Will’s bare chest greedily as they kissed. It was driving him crazy that he couldn’t do the same, that Nico’s stupid t-shirt was in his way. Fumbling as they kissed, as his tongue met Nico’s, he grasped the hem of Nico’s shirt with one hand while tugging at it by the collar with the other.

It was physically impossible to take off someone’s t-shirt while continuing to kiss them, which was truly a shame. When they pulled apart they were both panting and grinning as Nico let Will pull his shirt all the way off. He tossed it into the darkness toward the floor thoughtlessly as he stared memorized at Nico’s bare chest.

Nico was made for the darkness, his pale skin practically glowed like it was kissed by moonlight. Will reached out and let his fingers run down his boyfriend’s sculpted form. Will hummed with appreciation as he did.

Nico’s eyes fluttered shut at his touch. He took a shuttered breath before licking his lips absently and asking. “What about your mom?”

“Oh gods Pretty Boy.” Will exclaimed with mild disapproval as his fingers teased at the waistband of his boyfriend’s briefs. “let’s not talk about my mom right now.” As he moved to kiss Nico’s bare chest.

“Do you think she’s asleep?” Nico questioned not sounding nearly as concerned as Will would have figured he would be. He sounded more pleasured then he did anything else. His hand wondered Will’s body desperately as he spoke “What if she hears us?”

“She didn’t hear us last time.” Will reminded before moving up to Nico’s clavicle to start working on a mark there.

Nico let out a soft sigh as he tangled a hand in Will’s hair. “But the door” Nico reminded weakly.

Will understood what Nico was saying, last time they had fooled around the door had been closed. “We’ll just have to be extra quiet” Will reasoned. He planted a few kisses up the length of Nico’s throat and grinned when his boyfriend’s head lulled back. “Like church mice.”

Nico let out a satisfied humming sound and Will’s grin widened with pride, that he had caused it. He moved one hand from where they were resting once again at Nico’s hips and palmed the budge growing at the front of his boyfriend’s briefs. “Will” Nico moaned softly at his touch “Così buono”

Will watched as Nico bit his lip in an attempt to hold in the pleasured noises that were escaping him. It was thrilling to have that kind of power of Nico, to bring him such pleasure. Will did it again, putting a bit more pressure in the motion. Nico gasped at his touch, his head fell back with pleasure.

There was a moment where they were both quiet except for their labored breathing then Nico met his gaze. His eyes were dark and hungry and extremely intense. Will just barely resisted the urge to squirm under the power of Nico’s gaze. It only lasted for a moment before their gaze broke as Nico leaned in to place a hot kiss on the sensitive spot right behind Will’s ear.

“Oh” Will sighed as Nico’s hot breath caused a shiver of desire run down his spine. Nico snickered victoriously before moving to nip at Will’s earlobe. Nico continued to nip, kiss, and lick greedily first Will’s ear, then his jaw before moving on to his neck. Nico’s hands were roaming his body hungrily, pressing and squeezing various muscles.

As Nico licked a long strip up Will’s throat he pressed his hips forward and Will was practically seeing stars. Nico’s rolling hips brought his heavy manhood sliding against Will’s. Even though the fabric of their briefs the friction felt indescribably good. “Nic gods that’s so good” Will gasped. His hands went to Nico’s hips once again. He was gripping there tightly in a desperate attempt to encourage Nico to repeat the motion.

Nico sighed contently above him. He apparently didn’t need Will’s encouragement to keep making them both feel good. Nico rolled his hips again, and again, and again. Before Will knew it Nico had found a rhythm that had them both panting. They kissed at each other, hungry, greedy kisses, the motion making them both frenzied. Their breathing became increasingly heavy. All Will could do was grip Nico’s hips more tightly.

“Dei, ti voglio così male in questo momento.” Nico muttered against Will’s lips. “Vi sentirete così bene. Ci si sente sempre così buono.”

Hearing Nico purr in Italian helped cleared some of the lust fog that had left him completely under Nico’s mercy. For one he was reminded once again that he really needed to learn Italian. That wasn’t the most immediate concern. He and Nico weren’t fumbling virgins but if they kept going like this Will was going to cum far too early like one. “Lube, we need lube.” he declared breaking the kiss. Nico didn’t seem to mind, he easily moved to kiss along Will’s jaw. He kept doing this thing with his lips and his teeth that was driving Will mad with desire. Why did his boyfriend have to be unbelievably sexy when he was all worked up, it was unfair. Will groped desperately at his nightstand only to remember after a minute that the lube was tucked away in a drawer. They couldn’t exactly leave that stuff out in the open for his mom to find.

Nico ran his tongue along the shell of Will’s ear and Will’s eyes rolled back as he shivered with sensation. “Oh gods” Will groaned “And we need to lose our clothes.”

Nico said nothing but scurried off Will’s lap and started striping off his briefs quickly. Will shucked off his own boxers as quickly as he could before pushing up to pull open the night stand drawer. It took him longer than he would have liked to actually find the lube, it was really buried.

He hadn’t even completely sat up when Nico moved back to his lap. The smaller boy pressing Will back so he was sitting against the headboard. Hungry lips pressed against his own and then Nico started rolling his hips again. This time when Nico’s hardness ran along the length of his own there was nothing between them to mute the sensation and they both moaned.

“Will, Ti voglio così male” Nico purred against Will’s jaw “Ho bisogno di me.”

Will really, really needed to learn Italian he managed to think before Nico drove thought from his mind. His boyfriend kept rolling his hips, not fast enough to get either of them off but enough to keep Will thoroughly distracted.

Will fumbled clumsily and blindly with the bottle of lube as he continued to meet Nico’s lips. They were both panting and kissing rather sloppily but it was good. It was also another thing distracting Will from what he was trying to do. It took far longer than it should have but Will managed to coat three of his fingers with a generous amount of lube without spilling too much on the bed.

Will let his other hand slid from its resting place at Nico’s hip and down over the curve of his backside. He squeezed on of Nico’s muscular cheeks, causing the smaller boy to whimper against his lips in the most amazing way. He pulled the cheek to the side gently before pressing his lube slicked fingers into the widened crease. He let his fingers slide slowly until he found Nico’s entrance.

Nico let out a small contented sigh at his touch which had Will grinning. For a moment, he teased the sensitive flesh, by rubbing lazy circles around furrowed rim. Will enjoyed how he could feel the ring of muscle pucker and twitch from his touches.

Teasing was nice but Will was already so worked up, they both were. He didn’t have the patience to really tease Nico long before he pressed one finger against the center of the tight ring of flesh. It wasn’t enough pressure on its own to allow his finger entrance but when Nico rolled his hips back the motion was enough to bring the tip of Will’s finger inside.

“Si Will Si!” Nico moaned with pleasure at the penetration. His hips shuttered slightly before picking up their pace.

Nico wasn’t the only one feeling impatient, Will worked as quickly as he dared as he fingered his boyfriend open. When he worked all three fingers into Nico’s tight channel he realized he didn’t actually have to do all that much. Nico’s shuttering hips were doing most of the work. As Nico’s hips rolled forward he rubbed his erection along the length of Will’s which caused them both to shiver with sensation. As he rolled his hips backwards he was taking in more of Will’s fingers and bringing their tips in contact with his prostate. Or at least that was what Will figured as Nico whimpered and dug his nails into Will’s biceps every time he thrust back.

“Will” Nico let out a hushed moan. “È così piacevole.”

“Gods Pretty Boy you look so sexy right now” Will replied.

“Will” Nico moaned again sounding more desperate. “Presto, ho bisogno di più di voi.”

“Keep going Nic” Will requested in a low voice as he panted placing a few sloppy kisses on Nico’s throat “It feels so good”

“Will” Nico moaned just before his body shuttered and white ropes of his cum painted their stomachs and chests. He tightened around Will’s digits. Just the thought of what it would feel like if it had been a different part of his anatomy caused Will to groan

“You know it really isn’t fair when you get like this.” Will fake-complained as he reluctantly removed his fingers from within his boyfriend. He could feel how Nico's rim continued to twitch and tighten trying to keep him inside. “I have no defenses for when you act so sexy.”

Nico had let his head rest on Will’s shoulder “Sorry” he apologized although Will could hear the grin. The ghost of a touch grazed over Will’s shaft bringing his painfully hard erection back to the forefront of his mind. “What about you?”

“You think you’re still up for it?” He questioned. The orgasm Nico had just had seemed like it had been intense. Will didn’t know if maybe Nico felt too sensitive for anal right now and wouldn’t push it.

Nico nodded in the affirmative and tried to hide his face in Will’s shoulder. How Nico could be bashful in front of Will after all they had done together was beyond Will’s understanding but it was enduring.

Will ran his hand down Nico’s back affectionately. Nervously, Will asked as he continued to pet Nico’s breath. “Would you… want to ride me?”

Nico shuttered at Will words and Will thought he was going to say no but then Nico nodded against his shoulder. Will shuttered at that, just thinking about it. Nico’s hands pressed against his shoulders. Nico lifted his head until they were looking into each others eyes. His tongue flicked across his pouty lips before he spoke softly “You should lay down more.”

Together the shifted on the bed until Will’s back rested on the mattress only slightly propped up by the pillows. Nico was still straddling Will’s hips although they were no longer pressed so closely together. Will shivered at the sudden cold at the loss of Nico’s heat, and the feel of Nico’s cum drying on his chest.

Nico leaned over and searched the sheets for a moment before retrieving the bottle of lube. As soon as Nico picked up the bottle he paused and glared at Will “It’s sticky” he complained.

“Sorry” Will tried to apologize sincerely as his hands rubbed Nico’s thighs absently. It was difficult to even think straight when all his could think about was how tight Nico had gotten on his fingers and how good it was going to feel to be _inside_ that tightness. “You were being sexy, I was distracted.”

Nico huffed and rolled his eyes. Will watched him with baited breath as Nico dripped a generous amount of lube on to his hand. The brunet capped the bottle and tossed it aside before reaching behind himself and grabbing hold of Will hard length. Nico stroked him slowly spreading the slicking liquid over Will’s entire erection. The movement was too slow but it still made Will moan desperately “Nic”

Above him, even in the dark, Will could make out the cocky grin that spread across Nico’s face. _Sure, it was easy to grin when you just got off and your boyfriend was still squirming with need_ , Will thought. “Hush” Nico ordered playfully “We haven’t even gotten to the good part yet.”

“Looks pretty good from where I’m sitting.” Will managed to choke out. “Feels good too.”

“Hum” Nico hummed as he stopped stroking although he maintained his grip. “This is going to feel better than good.” Nico told him as Will watched Nico bracing himself, lining Will’s erection up with his entrance.

Just more proof that Will really needed to learn Italian. If this was how Nico talked when he wasn’t too worked up to English, Will couldn’t imagine the things Nico muttered in the throws of passion. Will was going to say something in response but then Nico began to sit back. Will felt himself push into Nico’s tight channel. The only sound that escaped Will then was a long low moan.

Nico was moving back on Will’s length at a torturously slow pace. Will wanted Nico to go faster so he could feel himself completely buried inside. At the same time, he was glad Nico was going slow. DEAR GODS Nico was actually tighter than he remembered which was making it difficult to hold off his own orgasm. Watching Nico wasn’t really helping Will either. The brunet was biting his lip to hold in a moan and quivered from the effort.

Once fully seated Nico’s hands gripped his shoulders as he took a few steadying breaths. He wasn’t the only one who needed time to adjust. Nico was just so tight, and warm it felt so good, so right to be inside him. Will was so close to his own pleasure he couldn’t let himself focus on the sensation too much or he would finish. Will tried counting backward from 100 but only made it to 92 when Nico pushed himself forward moving up and almost off Will’s erection before shifting back and taking Will’s entire length in again, gasping as he did so.

“Oh gods Nic you’re so good!” Will moaned louder than he probably should have considering they were supposed to be quiet. “You feel so good.”

Nico muttered something Will couldn’t make out. Again that was probably for the best, hearing Nico purr in Italian would probably cause him to lose it. He dropped his head to Will’s shoulder and moved again. The motion was less tentative and more fluid than the first, and Nico gasped more loudly as he did it. Not really surprising considering Nico was always loudest when he rode Will like he was currently doing. Nico was also always louder after an orgasm if they kept going.

It wasn’t fair, Will would never understand how a wordless gasp could sound like the sweetest music but it did. The feel of Nico, the feeling of moving within him was quickly causing the hot pleasure in Will's core to coil tighter and tighter. All the sensation had him nearing his breaking point but that sound. The sound of Nico gasping as he sat back on Will’s length was causing Will’s body to scream and was driving his mind crazy with want.

He ran his hands reassuringly down Nico’s back enjoying the way he could feel his muscles working beneath the skin. He let his hands come to rest softly on his hips as he whispered into his ear “Slow Pretty Boy.”

“Will” Nico panted. His forehead still pressed on Will’s shoulder, his words spilling hot breath on his chest.

“I want you to cum again” Will declared huskily “I want to feel you cum again like this, with me inside you.”

Nico lifted his head and met Will’s gaze. He didn’t say anything in response to Will’s confession. He moved again, more slowly than before but still fluidly. He rolled his hips forward rising almost off Will’s length before pushing back taking him in again. Once fully seated Nico ground back against Will’s groin like he was trying to get more of Will inside himself although there wasn’t more to be had.

The motion did something besides sending a jut of fire-y pleasure through Will’s entire body. Nico’s eyes screwed shut and he bit his lip hard. Still a strangled sound, like a whimper escaped him. It was sexier than the gasping.

“Gods, you’re going to be the death of me” Will panted “Do it again Nic.”

Nico did as Will requested. Will was doing everything and anything he could think of to hold his orgasm at bay as Nico found a rhythm. It was carefully slow and Will could feel Nico shaking from the effort of it, or maybe it was from the pleasure. Every time he was grind back on Will’s erection his expression would twist with pleasure.

And the noises he was making were the most beautiful music Will had ever heard. At first he was clearly trying so hard to be quiet but with each motion Nico seemed to lose the resolve. As the sounds got louder and more desperate his motions speed up.

Will knew he couldn’t last much longer as he whole body grew more tense with impending release. He didn’t think Nico could possibly be that far off either. Then Nico thrusted back onto Will’s length with particular force and cried out. Will felt Nico’s whole body quake above him as he came for the second time. The warm pleasure of him became impossibly tight around Will’s manhood. Nico’s entrance becoming like a vice as it pulsed around him.

The hot pressure that had been building within himself finally erupted. It rushed through Will body like a wave of cool heat as he released deep within Nico. There was an explosion of color on the backs of his eyelids that was followed first by blinding white, and then deep black. He temporarily went deaf although he knew he had moaned for Nico as he came. The was a moment where there was only white noise before he could make out the sounds of their labored breathing and their hearts pounding.

As the world came back to him, or maybe he came back to the world and Will took stock. His body buzzed contently. Everything felt tired and heavy like he had run a marathon even though Nico really had done all the work.

Nico was curled against his chest so his forehead rested against Will’s sternum. His hands had slide from Will’s shoulders to Will’s chest where they were resting softly. Even though Will could feel himself growing soft but they were still connected. Nico didn’t seem like he had the intentions of moving any time soon. He could feel Nico’s heavy breathing against his chest and how his small frame was shaking.

“Cold?” Will questioned as he fumbled with heavy limbs to try to retrieve one of the blankets they had discarded.

Nico remained mute simply shaking his head no as a reply. He didn’t even lift his head from Will’s chest to do that.

“You’re shaking.” Will pointed out. He still fumbling to wrapping his fingers around one of the discarded blankets.

“It was just so much.” Nico stated between heaving breathes. “It was kind of overwhelming.”

Will grinned to himself because he understood what Nico was saying. Still he asked “In a good way?”

“In the best way” Nico agreed and Will’s grinned widened. Alright, yeah, he wasn’t an idiot, he knew that was good sex but he still liked hearing Nico say it. So, he wanted a little ego stroking, he was a child of Apollo so he could have been a lot worse.

“Good” Will sighed rubbing Nico’s back while patting the bed next to him with the other. “Now come on and lay next to me so I can hold you properly.”

Nico groaned and reluctantly shifted off Will’s lap to lay next to him on the bed. Will immediately pulled Nico into himself so they were both on their sides and Nico was curled into his chest.

“We need to get dressed” Nico reminded in a sleep-heavy voice.

“In a minute” Will dismissed trying to snuggle in closer to Nico, taking in the smell of shampoo and sweat.

“Last time you said that we fell asleep and your mom found us naked in the morning.” Nico reminded sounding almost annoyed. He probably would have sounded annoyed if he didn’t sound so drowsy.

“Yes,” Will conceded to that fact, the memory was still fresh and hard to forget. He started tracing lines in Nico’s sweat-sticky back. “which is way we shouldn’t fall asleep until we put on clothes.”

Nico took a heavy breath “I should clean myself up.” He stated squirming slightly in Will’s arms.

“Nico,” Will whined. He hated that Nico typically ran off immediately after they had sex. “after care is important.”

“I’m covered in…..” Nico huffed and squirmed with more insistence. “and I’m dripping.”

Will let his hands glide further down Nico’s back until he was ghosting over Nico’s firm yet supple backside. “I could help with that” He offered grinning at the thought.

Nico immediately pushed out of Will’s grasp and slapped the side of his arm, kind of hard. “Some things are private.” Nico hissed climbing out of the bed before Will could stop him.

Will pushed up on his elbow to look at his boyfriend with amusement. “It’s not like I’ve never fingered you before.” He pointed out with a grin “I have quite recently in fact.”

Nico had retrieved his briefs from the floor and paused to glare at Will. “That’s different” Nico stated before averting his gaze embarrassed. That was the thing with Nico the only time he could talk about sex casually was when things were sexually charged. Any other time it was awkward hand gestures and euphemisms that Will had to translate. The son of Apollo figured he had his boyfriend growing up in the era of Hitler to thank for that.

“It doesn’t have to be” Will offered softly. He probably shouldn’t push it but he really wanted Nico to come back to bed. “It’s all about how you think about it”

Nico pulled his briefs on completely “You are impossible.” He declared dismissively and Will knew that the conversation was at least for now.

He sighed and fell back on the bed. Rule one of dating Nico di Angelo was knowing when to push and when to let it go. He itched absently at his stomach where the remanence of Nico’s first orgasm began to dry and flake. “Bring me back a damp cloth?” he requested.

Nico pulled on his t-shirt before looking at Will confused. “You’re not going to go clean up?”

“Too tired” He stated with a fake yawn as he stretched his long limps. “I’ll shower in the morning.” he informed before a thought occurred to him and he grinned at his boyfriend wickedly. “Maybe I’ll get really lucky and mom will have errands to run and you can shower with me.”

“Truly impossible.” Nico declared shaking his head at him before starting for the bedroom door.

“Hurry back,” Will called as loud as he dared. Nico stopped and looked back at him and Will rolled onto his side. He patted the empty bed beside him as an invitation “I want cuddles.”

Once again Nico rolled his eyes at him before kneeling down scooping down to pick up Will’s boxers. He tossed the clump of fabric toward the bed “Get dressed, Will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that just happened.
> 
> I'm pulling from my own high school experience for Will coming out- We had two guys come out while I was in highschool- one was really popular and there was a response but for the most part people were quiet about it (after the initial shock). The other kid didn't run with the popular crowd- and some people were just horrible to him. The difference always bothered me so ........
> 
> Guys look Nico was being over protective


	19. The Whipped Cream Incident

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Wednesday
> 
> It's here folks, you read the title correctly- The Whipped Cream incident.
> 
> I really hope it lives up to expectations
> 
> Warning: While this chapter does not contain smut it does contain sexualized behavior

Will wasn’t really sure how long they had been passing the bottle of rum around. He didn’t think he or Nico had been taking large sips but during the last pass it had seemed almost empty. Over time Nico had moved closer to him on the bed. Now Nico was laying with his head on the pillow in Will’s lap. Will was absently running his fingers through his hair. Between Nico and the warm feeling from the booze Will was content.

He had lost track of what Dean and Felix were bickering about pretty quickly- It could have been something about video games or who was the most “doable” teacher, he really didn’t care. When he had started running his fingers through Nico’s hair Nico had begun making the sweetest little humming sounds. Will was completely memorized by the sound.

“Boys!” Will heard his mother call from the bottom of stairs. From the sounds of people matching up the stairs she didn’t wait for an answer. Will hadn’t even been thinking about the bottle of rum until he noticed movement in the corner of his eye. Felix had moved swiftly stowing the bottle behind a pile of dirty clothes. No more than thirty seconds later the door pushed open revealing his mother and Leonard.

Will noticed Leonard look around the room with an expression of distrust which he didn’t entirely blame him for- the man raised Felix. But when his eyes came to the bed where Will and Nico were his disapproval was evident and he coughed pointedly.

“Oh that’s fine.” Will’s mother responded. She gestured toward them on the bed answering Leonard’s unspoken question. “Honestly after the other morning as long as they have their clothes on I’m fine with it.”

“Mom!” Will protested. He didn’t see how that was Felix’ dad’s business. The comment was enough to snap Nico out of contented haze. He sat up and inched away from Will a bit, his face turning pink with embarrassment.

“What?” She questioned with a serious cork of her eyebrow. She leaned slightly against the doorframe telling Will she was past her second glass of wine.

This was not good. Will did not need to live throw a repeat of last Cinco de Mayo when his mom had some of her teacher friends over to the house. His mother didn’t drink often but when she did she pretty much said whatever came to her mind.

“I’m just explaining that I’m not fighting a battle that was likely over a long time ago by acting like you’re still a virgin, sweetie.” She explained much to Will’s own personal horror. “You should be happy you have such a progressive mother.”

Nico had turned himself into a little ball with his knees tucked against his chest, his forehead pressed against his knees, and hands thrown over his head. Will still heard him groan unhappily. “So happy” Will declared sarcastically. He moved his hand so he could rub Nico’s back reassuringly. “Mom, please drink no more wine.”

“I’m your mother don’t tell me what to do” She replied with a stern look. The expression faded almost as quickly as it appeared as she addressed the others with a smile. “Now would any of you boys like pie?”

“Is there the apple with the brown sugar topping?” Dean questioned perking up at the mention of pie.

“Of course” Will’s mother replied matter-of-factly.

“I’ll have a slice of that” Dean stated with enthusiasm.

His mother looked expectantly at Felix who just sort of shrugged “Apple is cool, I guess”

His mother nodded and looked toward Nico “Nico sweetie, would you like pie?”

Nico dropped his hands and peeked over his knees. He looked like little more than large eyes and fluttering eyelashes. “I’m fine.” he muttered.

“You sure?” His mom questioned sweetly before adding “There is blueberry and pumpkin too.”

“Maybe later” Nico replied unburying his face completely from his knees. “I still kind of full” He admitted.

“Considering I think you just ate more in one sitting then I’ve seen you eat in a day before that’s not surprising.” Will commented under his breath. Nico still really hadn’t eaten all that much but compared to his usual birdlike eating habits it was a lot.

Nico clearly overheard Will’s comment. “Hey!” he protested picking up a pillow from beside him on the bed and hit Will across the chest with it.

“Ow!” Will exclaimed because it might have been a just a pillow but Nico still hit hard. “I didn’t say that was a bad thing.” he defended “Honestly you could use to eat more”

“Just so cute” Mom sighed at them contently and Will could just see her planning their wedding. Well, the good news was his mom approved of his boyfriend he reminded himself. His mother turned her attention completely on Will. “Will, sweetie, pie?”

“No thanks.” Will shrugged before asking “But did you….?”

“Make the whipped cream thing you like?” She questioned finishing Will’s thought. “I’m your mother what kind of monster would I be if I didn’t?” She questioned with a smile.

“Can I have a small cup of that?” He asked sheepishly.

“Of course” His mother nodded before addressing all of them once again “If someone gives me a hand y’all can eat up here.”

Nico hoped off the bed “I’ll help you Ms. Sol-” he paused when Naomi arched an eyebrow at him. “I mean Naomi”

“Did you just…?” His mother sputtered with surprise which Will understood. He was sure it was going to take Nico at least a year to call his mother by her first name. His mother turned toward Will “Did he just….?” Will just shrugged because he didn’t know what to really what to say. His mother just shook her head. “You know what, I’m not going to question it.” She turned and started back toward the stairs with Leonard in her wake.

Nico went to follow and Will caught his hand and stopped him “Hurry back” Will requested with a grin.

Nico rolled his eyes “You are such a nerd” he huffed but still leaned in and kissed Will’s forehead. Will released Nico’s hand with that action and let him go. Will’s eyes may have lingered on Nico’s backside as he left. It wasn't Will's fault, Nico was wearing the especially tight pair of skinny jeans he owned and Will was only so strong. Plus Nico had a perfect butt, it was so perfect in fact he got paid for it (which was funny until Will really thought about it).

Nico was out of sight and Will could only barely hear his descent down the stairs. Nico was pretty stealthy when he wasn’t wearing combat boots. Felix retrieved the mostly drunken bottle of booze and took a large swig before commenting mockingly. “Well isn’t he just the cutest most polite little goth you ever did meet?”

“Dude,” Dean groaned “you’re being a dick”

“It’s fine” Will assured his cousin. He wasn’t going to get offended that Felix pointed out his boyfriend had manners. Felix might not think highly of the quality but Will did. “Of course Felix is going to mock some for having manners since he has none.”

“Hey, I shared my booze didn’t I?” Felix defended shaking the bottle as proof, the dark liquid sloshing this way and that.

“He sort of has a point there” Dean pointed out. Will just rolled his eyes at his cousin. He didn’t get why Dean insisted coming to Felix’ defense all the time. He didn’t want to think on it too hard either. Whenever he tried his brain kept circling back to Nico’s crazy theory that Felix had a thing for Dean. What if Nico was right but it wasn’t one-sided. But that was absolutely crazy because Dean was straight, Will knew this, he had dated girls. And from the twenty minutes of details Will had never wanted to hear after his cousin lost his virginity he had enjoyed sex with girls. Dean was definitely straight.

“While we’re discussing manners” Felix segwayed using the bottle to point at Will. “Could you and lover boy cool it a bit?” he questioned “It’s like a half-a-second from being gay porn which isn’t my thing.”

Will should have been bothered by a comment like that. Normally he would of been but all he could think was Nico’s first impression of Felix was that he gay, or at least not completely straight. The vindictive part of Will desperately wanted to tell Felix he was giving off a vibe like that was his thing, but figured that might be taking things too far. Still the thought made him smile.

“Dude, why can’t you quit while you’re ahead.” Dean groaned at Felix practically ripping the bottle of rum out of Felix’ hand. “Why must you always say something dick-ish and put yourself right back at square one.”

“What?” Felix exclaimed looking shocked at Dean’s complaint. “It’s been like soft core porn over there” he pointed where Will still sat on the bed. “for like the last ten minutes! I’m supposed to not say anything.”

“It’s my room Felix.” Will reminded with a smile before pointing out “If you don’t like it you can always go back downstairs.”

“Pass” Felix shoulders slumped slightly in defeat. “Watching your boyfriend with his head in your lap is mildly less gross than watching my dad and your mom act like love sick teenagers.”

“Well, I guess you’ll have to deal then.” Will replied with a triumphant grin. Felix glared at him for a moment but didn’t actually speak. For once Will found himself fond of the silence because in this case it represented a victory over Felix.

The silence only lasted a few seconds before he could hear the sound of footfalls ascending the stairs and then Nico appeared in the doorway. In one hand he was carrying a glass cup filled with fluffy pink cream with a spoon sticking out of it, and in the other hand he carried a plate with two pieces of pie. As he passed where Will was sitting on the bed he passed over the cup which Will happily took. Will normally didn’t do sweets but it was Thanksgiving and it was his all-time favorite dessert so he figured he deserved a treat for getting through the day. “Thanks” Will mumbled but Nico heard him and smiled.

Nico then turned to the two boys stationed on the floor by Will’s desk and placed the plate pie between them. “I didn’t want to carry two plates so you have to share.”

“Fantastic” Felix grumbled mockingly.

Nico paused with his back turned toward Will which had the son of Apollo a bit nervous. Felix had been trying pretty much everyone’s patience for the last hour. From where he sat Will just couldn’t tell if that was the last straw for Nico. Without seeing his boyfriend’s face, he couldn’t be sure if ‘fantastic’ would be Felix’ last word. After a nerve raking moment Nico moved, picking up the bottle of rum and taking a large sip.

“Hey!” Felix protested loudly.

“I brought you pie” Nico pointed out seriously. “I’m not a waitress, and rum is the only thing you have I’m interested in so stop whining or I’ll take the rest of the bottle.” Nico placed the bottle at Felix’ feet. Will couldn’t help but snicker at the look of complete shock on Felix’ face, it was truly priceless.

Felix heard him, and his eyes flicked toward Will and the expression of shocked turned into something more malevolent. “I’m starting to see who the man is in this little relationship” He commented jutting his chin at Nico. The insult was meant for Will, suggesting he was the less masculine when compared to Nico. Will really didn’t care about Felix’ interpretation of their relationship. He knew that neither he nor Nico were less masculine or more submissive than the other, and what they had worked. But Nico had grown up in a different time, where close-minded ideas about homosexuality were prevalent. Will knew it was a sensitive subject for Nico, and it had caused trouble in the past. Again Will couldn’t gage Nico’s reaction with his back turned but it didn’t matter because Will hated Felix for bringing it up.

Will barely registered his cousin’s eyes flick from Nico to Will. “Dude!” Dean exclaimed seriously as he snatched the bottle of rum off the floor and passed it to Nico. His eyes stayed fixed on Felix. Will was pretty sure this was the first time he had actually seen Dean look genuinely angry with the other boy. “Dial back the personality disorder a few notches it’s starting to piss me off.” The victorious expression Felix had been wearing faded. He grumbled something under his breath so quietly Will couldn’t make it out but otherwise fell silent.

“You need to teach me how you did that.” Will declared looking at Dean in awe of how he had actually gotten Felix to stop talking. Felix didn’t seem to appreciate that comment, if the fact that he proceeded to flip Will off was any indication.

Nico moved back to the bed with a bit of a pout indicating Felix’ comment had an effect. He sat next to Will so closely their shoulders touched, which was a good sign. Then, out of the corner of Will’s eye he saw Nico bring the bottle of rum to his lips and drain the bottle in two long gulps. Will was pretty sure that wasn’t a great sign but Will was too distracted by watching Nico swallow to really think it through. When he was done, Nico placed the bottle on the floor by the bed. Will saw Nico keep his eyes on Felix like he was just waiting for him to say something. For his part, Felix liked seriously annoyed but didn’t actually say anything. It was a smart move but very unlike Felix. Maybe he had seen something in Nico’s expression or maybe Dean’s warning held that much power over him. Of course, if the later was true that lent a lot of credence to Nico’s theory that Felix had a crush on Dean.

There was a long stretch of silence where the awkwardness and general tension slowly subsided. A few times Felix looked like he was about to talk but Dean fixed him with a serious look and he stopped before he started and silently returned to eating his pie. Seriously, Dean was going to have to teach Will that trick.

A few minutes passed and Will realized Nico was inching closer to him on the bed until their sides were pressed together from knee to shoulder. A few more minutes passed and Nico shifted slightly and brought his head to rest on Will’s shoulder with a contented sigh. Will could smell the rum on his breath, and it jogged his memory a bit. During the summer the two times he and Nico had drank Will had noticed Nico got touchy when he was intoxicated. Will wasn’t going to complain, it felt nice to have Nico resting against him.

“Will,” Nico spoke softly pointing at the cup that was now only about half full of fluffy pink cream. “what are you eating and why is it pink?”

Will ate a spoonful and swallowed before replying “It’s delicious.”

“It’s fruit dip” Dean corrected.

Sure being friends with your cousin is great but sometimes it’s annoying because Dean literally knew everything. “It’s delicious and it’s healthy unlike pie” Will defended using his spoon to point at Dean’s half-eaten pie. “Do you know how much butter is in pie crust alone?”

Nico picked his head off Will’s shoulder and looked at him seriously. “A magically perfect amount.”

“Wil1,” Dean stated seriously pointing at Nico with his fork. “listen to your boyfriend he is clearly a smart man.”

Will rolled his eyes and ignored his cousin to turn his attention back to his boyfriend. “Just try it” He said dipping his spoon into his cup and offering it to Nico. The son of Hades made no move to accept it, instead making a bit of a face. Will couldn’t help but smile because it was cute but he still held out the spoon a little more. “You’ll like it.” He insisted.

Nico still looked at the contains of the spoon skeptically “What’s in it?”

“Whipped cream” Will replied with a bit of a shrug. It was the truth and actually it was half the ingredients. He was reluctant to tell Nico the other one, he wasn’t a fan of yogurt and would probably say no at the thought.

“Whipped cream isn’t pink.” Nico pointed out seriously.

“You’re being difficult on purpose” Will sighed and held out the spoon more insistently. “Just try it.”

Nico actually seemed to think about it for a second and then something flashed across Nico’s eyes. It was an emotion but it was hidden before Will could really analysis it. A little grin started playing at the corners of Nico’s lips which made Will a bit uneasy. After a pause, Nico just shrugged and declared. “Fine”

Will held out the spoon for Nico to take but his boyfriend ignored him. Instead, Nico dipped his index and forefinger into the cup Will was holding in his other hand. Nico swirled his fingers around for a few second before retracting them with a generous amount whipped cream around the tips.

Nico visually examined the pink cream wrapped around his fingers critically for a moment. Will wasn't sure what Nico was doing but he certain would have never imagined what he did next. Nico dragged his tongue slowly over the pads of his fingers before swirling it around the whipped cream covered tips. Nico’s motions were so slow and deliberate and the way Nico’s eyes fluttered shut as he did it was all so…..lewd.

Will swallowed hard at the sight but his mind just refused to keep his thoughts PG. Will would have settled for PG-13 but his brain went straight for NC-17. Will easily conjured the image of Nico’s eyes fluttering shut just like that as he ran his tongue along the length of Will’s……In spite of himself Will let out as strangled whimpering noise. Will was suddenly very grateful he still had a pillow in his lap. If he hadn’t the whole thing would have been far more embarrassing.

Will was only vaguely aware of the sounds of people snickering off to his right. “You alright there Will?” Dean asked with barely contained laughter.

“Yup, yup I’m fine.” Will replied weakly his eyes still locked on Nico. The brunet had stopped licking his fingers and was now sucking them. Nico looked to be thoroughly enjoying it too. The room was far too hot, Will’s heart was pounding far too fast, and it was difficult to breath for some reason. Another whimpering sound escaped Will’s throat before he could stop it.

Nico opened his eyes and removed his fingers from his mouth with a wet _pop_ sound. Dark eyes took a moment to examine thoroughly clean fingers before looking up at Will. “You sure Il mio amore?” he questioned with fake innocence. Will nodded weakly because he didn’t trust himself to speak. Nico grinned at him triumphantly “You’re right this stuff is actually good.” he stated moving to dip his two fingers back into the cup.

Desperately Will held out the spoon toward Nico “Spoon” he offered.

“I like this better.” Nico replied dipping his fingers into the cup and using them to pull out another dollop of whipped cream. He examined the cream on his fingers for a moment before looking back at Will with a smile. “More fun this way”

Will whined and seriously considered throwing his head down on the bed because this was torture. What stopped him was the physical inability to look away from Nico. He watched as his boyfriend’s tongue flicked between his two fingers licking at the cream there. This might actually kill him, Will thought, this was how he was going to die. Death by arousal doesn’t sound like a horrible way to go but in this moment, Will was positive it was hell.

“Nico sweetie!” Will’s mother’s voice called from the bottom of the stairs. Nico paused in his torturous behavior and looked toward the door. Thank the gods his mother did not come upstairs but chose to call up. “Would you mind coming down and reading some Italian for us?”

“Sure” Nico called shimmying off the bed. He paused to place a soft kiss on Will’s lips. He tasted like whipped cream and strawberries which wasn’t helping Will’s arousal. When he pulled back he didn’t step back far, just enough so they could meet each other’s gaze. “We should save some of this stuff for later” He stated suggestively.

“Kay” Will barely managed his voice actually cracking. Will’s voice hadn’t cracked since he was fourteen. Nico grinned and pushed off the bed giving Will his space. Nico walked out the door without another word, Will’s eyes locked on him.

“Again I ask, you alright Will?” Dean asked with amusement.

Will actually jumped a little at the sound of his cousin. “Huh? Yeah” he stated weakly before admitting. “I kind of forgot you two were here.”

“Normally I’d be offended but in this situation I understand you had other things on your mind.” Dean replied casually before nudging Felix. “Now you are allow to bitch about the soft-core porn that was going on.”

“Shut up.” Will whined slightly embarrassed before adding “Out of curiosity how much would I have to pay you two to go away.”

“More then you could probably afford” Felix replied with a grin.

“Besides dude if we go downstairs you know Aunt Naomi would know something is up.” Dean pointed out sympathetically.

Will fell to his side on the bed and whined “It’s not fair.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it just kind of drops off a bit at the end.
> 
> What Will is eating: A friend taught me this recipe for a fruit dip that is one container of cool whip and one single serve cup of yogurt (usually strawberry) and yes it is so good you can just eat it with a spoon.
> 
> It got more serious there for a minute with Felix (I don't really know why) whenever I write him he just wants to be a dick.


	20. Dishes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi and happy Wednesday
> 
> SMUT WARNING: This chapter is pretty much just porn without plot so yeah.
> 
> Enjoy!

Nico was relieved when Leonard and Felix finally left. Having spent so much time with Will’s least favorite teammate Nico had come to two conclusions about the guy: he had absolutely no instincts for self-preservation considering how he kept pushing Will’s buttons, and he DEFINITELY had a crush on Dean. Nico actually felt a little sorry for Felix, or at least his situation. Nico had been there and he knew it could lead to making some bad decisions. It still didn’t excuse him for being unpleasant but Nico still sympathized. That wouldn’t stop him from beating the guy to a blood pulp if he pushed things with Will too far.

He felt practically giddy when Dean packed up some leftovers and said goodnight. Unlike Felix, Nico really actually liked Will’s cousin Dean. Under different circumstances Nico would have liked to sit and talk to Dean for a while. He was sure that Dean could tell him some interesting stories about Will when he was younger. Now wasn’t the time for that however, ever since Nico had sipped that rum he felt all warm and ……… something else. He wanted to call it hunger but he wasn't craving food. It was taking all his willpower not to jump Will where he stood.

With everyone gone Will and Nico went to the kitchen to help Ms. Solace clean up from dinner. Will helped transfer food from serving dishes into Tupperware before putting things into the refrigerator. Nico helped whip down the table and the counter as Will’s mother stacked dishes in the sink and Will put the last of the food away. Nico was carefully not looking at Will and was focusing on his work. He certainly not wasn't thinking about how Will had suggested Nico could top that night.

Ms. Solace stopped in her work at the sink and turned to look at them. “Well that went well, don’t you think?” She asked sincerely.

“I guess” Will grumbled as he walked over to the refrigerator. He pulled the door open and bent down to put the food away. Nico’s eyes drifted over the curve of Will’s backside.

_Dear gods_ , Nico cursed himself, he was actually salivating at the sight. Holding in a needy whimper Nico turned his attention back to whipping off the table. The table he and Will had sex on a few days earlier. Looking at the wood grain all Nico could think about was how Will had joked about how they could have sex on the kitchen floor and Nico could top. Nico squeezed his eyes shut which didn’t much help because his mind was happily painting vivid images of Will naked and moaning on the tile floor. He wondered if he and Will could excuse themselves for the night without it looking to suspicious.

“Warning would have been nice.” Will grumbled and the discontent quality of his voice helped Nico snap back to reality. Will never sounded like that when they were together physically. It helped quench the fantasies playing in Nico’s mind, at least for the moment.

Nico opened his eyes and looked up to see Will leaning on the refrigerator door- the same door they had made out against. _Don’t think about it_ , Nico told himself. Will was staring at his mother seriously, reminding Nico that the day had been hard for him. The thought made Nico feel a little guilty that all he could think about was sex.

“I know sweetie” Ms. Solace stated sympathetically patting Will on the cheek. “but historically speaking you don’t handle such things well.” She let out a dramatic yawn “Well I think I'm going to go to bed early, I want to go shopping tomorrow.” She glanced at the sink full of dishes before looking back at them with a smile. “You two take care of the dishes before bed?”

“Sure” Nico replied quickly. Part of it was just years of programming. He was raised to believe when an adult asked you to do something you didn’t really have a choice. Another part of him, a less pure part, a part his mother probably wouldn’t have been proud of, just wanted Will’s mom out of the room because his brain kept conjuring images of Will’s face while he and Will were _together_.

“Mom, there is like a thousand!” Will protested as he gestured toward the rather large stack of dirty dishes in the sink as evidence.

Ms. Solace smiled sweetly before leaning in and placed motherly kiss on Will’s cheek. When she spoke next, she did so so softly that Nico knew he wasn’t meant to hear, but he still did. “Consider it payment for me pretending like I didn’t know you boys were drinking alcohol.” Nico averted his eyes out of guilt. He heard Will sputter a string of half-spoken words none of which really made since. Ms. Solace spoken again, this time more loudly. The words were clearly meant for everyone. “And I expect the disaster that is your bedroom picked up.” She declared. Nico still didn’t dare look up as she walked past him. She was already at the stairs when she called back to them. “Goodnight boys!”

“Night” Nico heard Will call after his mother weakly sounding disappointed and annoyed.

Nico listened to the sound of Ms. Solace’s footfalls as she made her way up to her bedroom for a moment before letting out a sigh. Honestly, he was relieved for the privacy even if they had to do the dishes. At least with Will’s mom gone if the porn that seemed to play nonstop in Nico’s mind caused a physical reaction it wouldn’t be too humiliating. He still desperately wanted to take Will to bed and make the images playing on his eyelids a reality. “Come on” Nico stated looking toward Will who was staring at the sink full of dishes begrudgingly. Nico was pretty proud about how nonchalant his voice was considering part of his mind was trying to figure out how bad of an idea using dish soap as lube was. Austin was right one-time use lube packets were a brilliant idea, he would have to talk to Chiron when he got back to camp about getting some of those. Nico stared toward the sink “Let’s take care of the dishes so we can go to bed.”

Will had been right, there was a ridiculous number of dishes. Doing them wasn’t as bad as Nico would have thought because he was doing them with Will. They talked and teased each other, Will made a few weak attempts to splash him with soapy water. Even though Nico brain kept defaulting to x-rated content it was actually almost fun. They didn’t have too many dishes left when Nico moved to rising and drying while Will continued to wash.

Nico couldn’t help but notice how well he and Will worked together. Sure, it was a menial task but they didn’t even need to talk, it was really nice. Nico found himself smiling at the observation “So this could be our thing.” Nico stated “When we live together, we can do the dishes together.”

Will chucked as he passed him a clean and dripping serving bowl “Pretty boy, if you cook I’ll do the dishes.” He stated with one of his thousand watts smiles that still made Nico weak in the knees. He seemed to think about it for a second before his smile actually widened. “Or we could get a dishwasher.” He suggested excitedly.

“I guess that could work” Nico laughed a little. Will’s mom had already warned him that Will was a horrible cook, so Nico wasn’t expecting Will to be really domestic. Nico’s childhood memory was fuzzy at best but he knew he had spent a lot of time in the kitchen when he was little. During the time he had spent on his own, Nico had discovered he was actually a pretty good cook when he had the resources. More importantly he actually liked cooking, it was soothing in a way. Still, he didn’t want Will thinking he was going to be like some 1950’s sitcom wives cooking and cleaning all day and then greeting Will at the door with a Prozac-induced smile plastered on his face and a martini in hand. “But don’t expect a home cooked meal every night.”

“Of course not!” Will agreed like it was commonsense. “That’s what leftovers and take out is for.” Will paused to scrubbed more fiercely at a dish for a moment. “I would offer to cook too but you seriously don’t want me too.” Will stated sounding embarrassed by the fake. Nico peeked at him out of the corner of his eye and saw Will was actually blushing which may have been the sweetest thing Nico had ever seen. “New York has some great places to eat, if we live there you may never actually have to cook if you didn’t want to.”

“I guess” Nico admitted. New Rome actually had some great restaurants too but Will wouldn’t know that. Nico made a mental note he needed to take Will to New Rome so he could start getting excited about the idea of living in New Rome like he got about living in New York City. Placing a dish in the drying rake Nico turned to place an affection kiss on Will’s cheek. By pure coincidence Will chose that moment to turn his face in Nico’s direction.

Their lips met and at first it was a bit awkward because it had been so unexpected and so unplanned on both their parts. Neither of them pulled away because kissing was good. Nico could feel his whole body scream. He wanted to push his body against Will’s until they were practically one person. Nico did his best to restrain himself but the kiss quickly turned heated.

At first Nico was so blinded by his own desire he really thought all the passion was coming from his end of things and Will was just humoring him. When he felt the edge of the counter press against his back as Will pressed himself against Nico’s front. Nico hadn’t even really realized Will had moved, not that he minded. In reality he liked being pinned against Will’s hard body a lot. So much so the muscle between his legs twitched and started to stiffen at the feel. Then Will’s hand moved up the back of his neck and tangled in his hair, tugging just enough for Nico to really feel it.

Nico’s first instinct was to throw his arms around Will’s neck and push himself up onto the counter so he could wrap his thighs around Will’s waist. He resisted but only just. Another tug at his hair from Will and the most vivid mental image filled Nico’s mind. They were both naked, and Nico was propped up on the counter. Will had one gripping Nico by the hip and the other pressed against the cabinet by Nico’s head. His muscles were tense and flexing as he thrusted up and into Nico. The image was so vivid he could practically feel how deep Will could get.

With a moan, Nico turned away from Will’s lips. Of course, Will just took that as an invitation to move on to trying to mark his neck. Nico carefully pushed the thought of Will taking him right there against the counter aside. The faint feeling of Will’s teeth on his throat not really helping with that. He reminded himself firmly that he was going to be the one that was going to be topping tonight and while the idea of having Will on the counter was appealing thanks to his height it was also unrealistic. Although the kitchen floor was still a very real option.

Panting more then was probably warranted, Nico pushed the thought of having Will on the floor aside too as he barely found words. “We should finish the dishes so we can go upstairs” He suggested. Internally, he was still cursing himself. He couldn’t understand why he sounded like they had already gone a round or two.

Will pulled away from the spot he had been marking, Nico could feel the bruise that was forming there. Will placed light kisses up the curve of Nico’s throat until he reached Nico’s ear and whispered. “Or we could go upstairs and worry about the dishes later”

Gods, Will had no self-restrain when it came to sex. While Nico liked to tease him about that he knew in reality he wasn’t much better. Will’s voice had been so husky, Nico wanted to listen to him. When Will spoke like that it worked almost as well as charmspeak. Nico sighed and tilted his head a little to the side offering Will more of his throat. He heard Will hum with satisfaction and felt him press his body more tightly against Nico’s. Based on what Nico could feel pressing against his own thigh Will was at least half-hard. Nico ignored the part of his brain that told him to drop to his knees for a better look. “We promised your mom” He reminded weakly. Nico couldn’t care less about the dishes at this point but he knew once he got Will in bed he didn’t want any reason to have to leave the rest of the night.

Will whined like a child who had just been told he couldn’t have any candy until after dinner. When he pulled away to meet Nico’s gaze he was clearly pouting which was actually pretty cute. Nico wanted to kiss it away, or maybe pull that big bottom lip between his teeth between his teeth until Will whimpered. _Dear gods_ , Nico cursed himself, he really needed to get his libido under control. “But I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since earlier with the whipped cream.” Will stated although it sounded more like a plea.

Nico should have been horrified at his earlier behavior. He suspected in the morning, when the alcohol had completely worn off, he would be. But for the moment the only thing Nico could really feel was pride. The way he had completely captivated Will’s attention. The intensity of Will’s gaze as Nico had made a show of licking his fingers clean. He grinned “I thought that caught your attention.”

“It did” Will returned the smile although his had a suggestive edge. Then again, Will was a child of Apollo and that was just how children of the sun god smiled. “Were you serious about saving some of the whipped cream for later?” He questioned, and now the suggestive nature of his smile was more than just the child of Apollo thing. His eyes wondered down Nico’s body and back up again to meet Nico’s. “Cause I really wouldn’t mind licking whipped cream off any part of you”

_Yes, please_ was Nico’s first thought. His mind worked quickly to conjure images of Will licking fluffy pink cream off parts of his bare body. It took all Nico’s willpower to contain the shutter that threatened to run over his body at the thought. “Will” Nico spoke and at least to him he sounded weak. Part of him felt like he should grab one of the dirty dishes and hold it out in front of himself like a shield against Will’s sexiness. “We _really_ need to finish the dishes.”

Will’s grin slipped and he downcast his eyes in disappointment. “Fine, let’s finish dishes” Will stated pulling away from Nico’s body and returning to his station at the sink.

Nico bit his lip to hold in a whine. Will looked sad which broke him but it was more than that. He missed the feel of Will’s body pressed against his own. He missed the feel of Will’s breath on his skin. He missed Will’s touch. Nico ran a shaking hand through his hair as he told himself to pull it together. They only had a handful of dishes left to do, they could wait the five minutes it would take to do them. Still, seeing Will disappointed made Nico a little sad. He leaned over to place a kiss on Will’s cheek. Will raised a hand and blocked Nico’s efforts.

Nico took a half a step back out of surprise and protested. “Will!”

“You said we had to finish the dishes, so we should finish the dishes!” Will stated firmly his eyes focused on the soapy water in the sink. He let out heavy sigh as he pulled a dish out of the sudsy water and started scrubbing without enthusiasm. “Honestly after all the almosts and false starts today I don’t think I can take another.” He declared. With clear frustration, he dropped the dish back in the water and turned to look at Nico. “I’m pretty sure if I don’t feel you inside me soon I’m going to die.”

Nico was pretty sure his brain had just short-circuited because Will couldn’t have just said what Nico had just heard. Will turned back to the sink and looked down. Nico couldn’t take his eyes off his impossibly beautiful boyfriend. His heart pounded in his chest and the sound of blood pumping filled his ears. Why was he so worried about the stupid dishes? Honestly the ones that were left could probably benefit for soak anyways. This was more important, Will _needed_ him.

Nico reached out and wrapped his hand around Will’s thick bicep. Gingerly, he steered Will’s body so he was facing him. Will met his eyes with clear confusion but Nico didn’t give him time to question what was going on. Nico took a half a step into Will’s space and moved his other hand so that it rested on the back of Will’s neck. Using that leverage, he pulled Will down into a hard kiss.

Just like that, with that one kiss Nico lost the weak grasp he had on self-control. He felt ravenous for Will. He placed a hand on the small of Will’s back and used them to pull them more tightly together. When Will turned his head to gasp for air Nico kissed at Will’s face, his jaw, his throat, anywhere he could press his lips and taste Will’s skin. He was only partially aware of Will panting as he grasped at Nico’s biceps like he needed something to keep him grounded in the moment. “I thought we were finishing the dishes?” Will questioned. His voice was breathy, and soft. It was like music to Nico’s ears.

“This is a medical emergency” Nico panted out against Will’s ears. “I wouldn’t want you to die” He assured smiling against Will’s skin at the memory of what Will had said. “The last few dishes can wait a little while.” Nico stated blinking up at Will’s gorgeous blue eyes.

Will smiled down at him brightly. He was still breathing heavily but when he spoke he sounded playful. “Is that all I’m going to have to do when we live together to get out of house work?” Will questioned his smile widening as he spoke. “Tell you I want you?”

Nico smiled back at his boyfriend he slide his hand under the fabric of Will’s t-shirt so he could feel Will’s warm skin. “Depends on the house work but it would probably be a safe bet most of the time.” Nico replied impressing himself that he was able to keep his tone playful considering he wanted to rip Will’s clothes off. Actually he was impressed he was able to speak English at all. To himself Nico realized that Will would probably find him speaking English a bit disappointing. Will got so excited when Nico spoke in Italian, it would be a shame not to take advantage of that. He leaned in as much as he could and started pressing kisses along Will’s strong jaw. With his hand, the one not currently pressed against Will’s back, he started moving down Will’s body. “Si prega di amore, mi permetta di darle quello che vuoi, quello che ti serve.”

“Mmmmm” Will hummed with approval. Nico felt the son of Apollo shutter against him when Nico’s hand passed over the bulge in the front of his jeans. “Pretty boy, we should go upstairs.”

Nico paused to look up at Will through his thick lashes and found Will looking back at him with a needful expression. Nico replied by taking Will by the hand and leading him up the stairs. It took all the strength Nico had not to run up the stairs as fast as he could.

Once they were in Will’s room Nico pulled the door shut behind them. When Nico turned around to look at Will he found Will staring back at him with a mischievous expression. “The door’s supposed to stay open” He reminded teasingly. Nico wasn’t all that surprised. Will had tried to close the door a few times when they had been fooling around over the last couple days and Nico had always insisted the door stay technically open. Nico wanted to respect Will’s mom but he was beyond the point of caring in that moment.

“We’ll open it after” Nico replied his voice coming out lower then he was used to hearing. He moved into Will’s space and pressed their lips together. Will laced his fingers in Nico’s hair and Nico made quick work of pushing and pulling Will’s t-shirt off. He tossed the wad of fabric aside and took a half a step back to enjoy the sight of Will’s bare chest.

Freckles trickled down Will’s sculpted chest and washboard stomach like raindrops falling from his broad shoulders. His skin was still golden even though it was winter. Nico could stare at Will’s body for an eternity and be content. He found himself licking his lips absently as his eyes ran up and down bare skin.

The pink of blush spread across Will’s chest and Nico noticed the son of Apollo visibly squirm “Nic?” He questioned nervously.

Nico reluctantly lifted his gaze to met Will’s eyes and found him staring back at him uncertainly. Nico smiled and hoped it came across as reassuring because he felt so _hungry_ for Will it could easily come across predatory. Slowly, almost cautiously, Nico reacted out and ran his hands up Will’s body. He took his time enjoying the feel of Will’s skin, the dip and curve of muscle, under his hands. When he came to Will’s shoulders he grasped slightly and started steering Will backwards toward the bed.

Their eyes stayed locked as they made their way back toward the bed. Nico did his best to direct Will around the debris that currently covered his bedroom floor. There were a few stumbles but considered Nico thought he did a pretty good job. When they reached the bed Nico gently pushed Will back on the bed.

Will sat down on the bed, his eyes still looked on Nico’s as Nico moved to his knees to start unfastening Will’s pants. Will was grinning at Nico as he worked like he had just won the lottery. “This whole take charge thing you have going on right now?” Will questioned as Nico climbed back to his feet. Will’s hands reached out and grasped the hem of Nico’s shirt, his fingers grazing Nico’s flesh low on his stomach. Nico shuttered at the warmth of Will’s touch. He moved to place a knee on the bed as Will worked his shirt off. Will tossed the black fabric aside and took a moment to visually inspect Nico’s bare chest. “Really hot.”

Nico moved his other knee on the bed so he was strattling Will’s thighs. Once again he brought his hands to rest on Will’s shoulders and urged the blonde backwards until Will was laying back on the bed and Nico was looming over him. “È colpa tua”

Nico kissed Will’s lips softly before moving to kiss his jaw. Will’s hands were between them fumbling to unbuckle Nico’s pants. “I’ve been thinking about this since this morning.” Will admitted with heavy breath as he finally managed to unfasten Nico’s jeans. “Oh gods Nic and then the thing with the whipped cream.” Will groaned seemingly at the thought. Nico couldn’t help but smile a little at that. “Oh, we forgot the whipped cream.” Will realized and sounded really disappointed.

Nico’s grinned widened as he moved down Will’s throat to kiss along his collarbone. “Sono ancora in corso di leccarti” he purred the promise against Will’s skin in a husky voice.

Will shuttered beneath him arching up a little into Nico’s touch “Gods, I need to learn Italian” he sighed.

Nico continued to kiss a slow path down Will’s body as he worked to push off Will’s pants. He was working blind and Will wasn’t really helping, finally he growled “Pants!”

Will lifted his hips immediately and Nico was able to pull off Will’s pants and boxers leaving his beautiful boyfriend laying on the bed completely bare. Will was truly breathtaking from his sculpted torso, to his muscular thighs to….. _Dear gods_ Will was already hard. His erection was resting heavy on his stomach. It looked so good, gingerly Nico ran his hand over the length of Will’s swollen manhood out of admiration. “Sei così bello”

Will gasped, his hips rolled upward trying to follow Nico’s touch, and gods that was a beautiful sight too. Nico found himself memorized by the way Will’s muscles rippled as he tried to follow his touch. He snapped back to reality when Will squirmed under him and whined. He looked up to meet Will’s eyes and saw Will looking back at him hungrily. “Pretty boy it’s not fair that I’m the only one naked.”

Nico bit his lip and felt his cheek pink slightly at Will’s comment. There was no way he looked as good as Will did naked. He placed a soft kiss low on Will’s stomach in place of an actual reply. Will squirmed again under him before reaching down and brushing a strand of hair away from Nico’s face. “Please” Will begged “Nic I want to see you as much as I want to feel you.”

“Will” Nico replied his voice pleading. He didn’t think he could survive Will saying anything else like that.

“Please Pretty Boy” Will replied so sweetly.

Reluctantly Nico pulled away from Will’s perfect body and crawled off the bed. As he worked to pull off his pants he could feel Will’s hungry eyes on him. Nico was cursing his decision to wear the especially tight skinny jeans. Once he managed to kick off his pants it was easy work to shed his briefs. Once naked he started back toward the bed and tried not to blush too hard because of the way Will was grinning at him. “Why do you ever where clothes?” Will questioned making no effort to hide how he was eyeing Nico’s bare body. “You look so good naked.”

Nico climbed back on the bed kneeing next to Will. He worked hard to grin back at Will teasingly. It was truly a challenge when he noticed Will eyeing his manhood and licking his lips hungrily. “Like you would want to share.” Nico just barely managed to retort.

It actually took Will a minute to look up and meet Nico’s eyes. When he finally did, the blonde was grinning happily “You’re right, I really don’t.” Will pushed up further on his elbows to press his lips against Nico’s.

Their kisses became increasingly hungry by the second. Will pushed up into a sitting position to better meet Nico’s lips. His hands quickly came to rest on Nico’s thighs and started moving upwards. The feeling of Will’s warm hands running over the sensitive skin of his inner thighs was driving Nico crazy with desire. Panting, he pulled away from Will’s lips and met his vibrant eyes with his own. “Voglio leccare si apre” he admitted in a husky whisper.

Will stared back at him searching his expression to try to decipher Nico’s meaning. Will looked so cute when he was confused. Nico kissed him once one the lips before pulling back and taking a deep breath. He had to dig deep to find the words in English but he managed. “Roll over” he requested.

“Nico” Will whined

“Please” Nico pleaded.

Will was still for a moment, apparently thinking it over. Nico noticed Will began to blush a little before slowly shifting on his position on the bed until he on his hands and knees. It was such a sight, Will bent over and presenting himself like that, Nico couldn’t help but touch. He ran his hand reassuringly over the curve of Will’s backside and up along his spine. Will sighed and sank lower on his elbows which just pushed his muscular butt further in the air.

Nico bit his lip to hold in a whimper at the truly amazing sight in front of him. He really didn’t know what he had done to deserve someone as perfect as Will but he would be happy to earn him every chance he got, like now for instance. He ran his hands over Will’s backside again, a little more firmly this time.

“Nic, Pretty Boy, Please” Will whined slightly muffled by the bedding. Nico started kneading at the muscular flesh of Will’s backside. Will mewed under him and tried to push back against Nico’s hands.

Will had the cutest little mole low on the curve of his left cheek, Nico ran his thumb over it softly and Will whimpered. “Sembri così bella” he stated before leaning down and running his tongue over the same spot.

“Please, please, please” Will chanted desperately. Nico could hear the sheet rustling as Will squirmed and took clumps of it into his fists.

_Alright, enough teasing_ , Nico told himself. Partially because it seemed mean to make Will beg, even if he sounded so good while he did but also the more he teased the longer he had to wait. Nico really didn’t have the willpower to wait. He grasped the firm flesh of Will’s cheeks and pulled them apart. He let himself take a moment to enjoy the sight of Will’s puckering rim.

Will sighed and squirmed in Nico’s grasp. Nico leaned forward and ran his tongue tentatively along the crease from Will’s perineum until he reached the wrinkled flesh of Will’s entrance. Nico started out slow using his tongue to lick and prod at the sensitive skin of Will’s entrance. Will mewed, whine, and squirmed under him from the smallest of Nico’s move. It was a struggle because Nico wanted it just as bad as Will did but he increased the intensity of his movements gradually. He started by licking for a moment or two before he allowed his tongue to press more insistently, massaging Will’s entrance.

“ _Nic_ ” Will whined and pressed himself back against the motions of Nico’s tongue. Nico couldn’t take it, Will sounded so good. He turned his tongue into a spear and used it to prod at Will’s entrance, using his tongue to start working Will open. Will moaned loudly, the end half muffled as Will buried his face in the pillows.

Will’s legs were shaking like he was struggling to keep himself upright. He was whimpering and mewing into the pillow where he had buried his face. It was all just so hot, Nico’s skin even felt hot, and all he wanted was more; he wanted to give Will more, and hear more of Will’s beautiful noises. He increased his efforts pressing his tongue forward more forcefully as he began to gently suck on wrinkled flesh.

“ _NIC_!” Will cried and it was loud even muffled by the pillow. Will’s body shook and shuttered under Nico’s grasp. Nico felt Will’s entrance spasm under his tongue, tightening before fluttering open and then tightening again.

Nico pulled back and looked at Will quivering on the bed. His legs shaking so bad Nico was surprised Will was still able to hold himself up. What Nico thought had just happened couldn’t have actually happened. Will couldn’t have actually……. “Did you just?”

“I told you I couldn’t wait.” Will panted out his reply.

“Wow” Nico couldn’t help but smile a little with pride. Nico knew he had his talents in the bedroom but he had never gotten Will to climax like that before. He knew it was possible, Will had managed it a few times. This was so new Nico was unsure what he was supposed to do in the face of this. “Do you still want…..?”

“Yes!” Will cried and pushed his hips off the mattress a little higher. “Gods, Nico yes please”

“Oh dèi Will!” Nico scrambled of the bed almost tripping over his own feet as he did so. Will whined at Nico’s absent “Lube” Nico explained as he frantically pulled open the draw to Will’s nightstand and rummaging around the contents. When he finally found the bottle of lube, Nico pulled it out, took one look at it and wanted cry with despair. The bottle was practically empty, maybe only a teaspoon of slicking liquid. That was nowhere near enough. “Will?” he looked toward Will desperately.

Will had moved so he was sitting on the bed watching Nico with intensity. “There’s another bottle” he informed and pointed off toward something, what Nico had absolutely no idea. He just stared at Will with confusion. It took Will a second to realize Nico had no idea, then he huffed and climbed out of bed.

As Will crossed the room and rummaged through his desk drawers. Nico stripped the now messy sheet off the bed. He tossed the sheets to the already messy floor. Will was back on him in that moment placing hungry kisses on Nico’s lips and neck. “You can’t tease me all day and then make me wait for it.” He declared in a husky voice against Nico’s skin as he pushed Nico back on the bed and climbing into his lap. “It’s torture”

Nico growled low in his throat as he gripped Will’s hips tightly. It was shockingly easy to use the little leverage he had to switch their position. Will let out a little yelp as his back hit the bed. Nico shifted on Will’s lap as he grinned down at the blonde. He leaned in close and placed one soft almost chaste kiss on Will’s throat. Will shivered at the touch and Nico looked up at him

“Niente più attese allora” he promised against Will’s skin.

Will shivered again and whimpered which was both adorable and sexy. Nico placed a few more teasing kissing kisses on sensitive spots as he groped around the bed until he found the full bottle lube Will had retrieved. He coated his fingers as he moved down Will’s body, Will’s eyes were on him the whole time. His chest was heaving and as Nico reach under him and slid his fingers over Will’s entrance. Will immediately began to squirm above him. “Nico I’m starting to think you’re getting off on me begging.” He whined.

Nico hid his face in Will’s thigh to hide his grin. Will wasn’t one to beg so this was a fun adventure from their usually encountered. “Forse un po” He admitted as he pressed the tip of one finger just past the tight ring of muscle of Will’s entrance.

Will gasped at the penetration but it quickly turned into a contented sigh. “Finally”

After hearing that Nico had to work hard to not go too fast. Will was absolutely no help as he kept whining and begging Nico to go faster. At three fingers, Will actually growled with frustration and pushed his hips down on Nico’s hand. “Nic I’m ready, really” Will babbled “Will you please just get inside me already!”

“ Oh dèi” Nico groaned pulling back his hand. Nico reached for the bottle of lube but Will beat him too it.

Will pressed their lips together hard and Nico kind of forget everything else that was going on. Or he did until he felt Will wrap his hand around his length and start stroking, spreading lube along his length. Nico hadn’t realized how hard he was until Will took him in his hand. He mewed at Will’s touch, shuttering as his hand glided up and down his length.

“Mmmm Nic” Will hummed with approval “You are so hard” he declared as he continued to stroke Nico’s manhood. Nico was positive he was sufficiently lubed but he couldn’t find it in himself to stop Will’s motions. “You’re going to feel so good.”

“Oh dèi Will Non si può parlare così” Nico growled catching Will by the wrist. Will whined in protest which Nico had to work hard to ignore. If Will wanted to touch him why would Nico want to stop him….Oh right, that wasn’t the end goal of the moment.

Nico placed one hand on Will’s shoulder and guided him back. Once Will was laying down they exchanged one kiss. It was passionate and a little sloppy, and Will tried to chase Nico’s lips. Nico held him in place with one hand splayed on his chest.

Nico took a steadying breath before using his free hand to line himself up with Will’s entrance. The sound of Will sucking in a sharp breath when the head of Nico’s erection pressed against the furrowed ring of muscle. There was half a heart beat of resistant before muscle gave way and the tip of Nico’s length was welcomed inside.

They both gasped at the penetration. Will fisted closed around bedding as his eyes screwed shut. Nico’s breathing became increasingly labored as he held back the initial desire to let the sensation overtake him. Will was just so tight, and warm, and slick. It was perfect, and too much, and not enough all at once.

As hard as it was he kept his eyes on Will. His normally beautiful face more beautiful as it contorted with pleasure. Nico pushed forward slowly as he searched Will’s featured for any signs of discomfort. It felt like it took days to push all the way in, although in reality it had only taken a minute or two.

Nico dropped his forehead against Will’s chest. He panted as he took a minute, he needed to collect himself as much as Will needed to adjust. Will ran his hands lazily of Nico’s back and sides, the soft touches served as a nice distraction from the feel of Will enveloping him and driving his body toward pleasure.

“Nic” Will sighed. Nico lifted his head to meet Will’s eyes. Their eyes locked for a moment before Will bit his lower lip and nodded frantically. Nico could only assumed that was Will’s way of telling him he was ready. Nico lifted his head enough to graze his lips against Will’s softly before he shifted his hips. He pulled back slightly before pushing forward in a shallow thrust.

Will mewed at the motion and Nico cursed internally that he could already start to feel the pull of climax building low in his groin. Such a shallow, tentative motion had no right to feel so good.

Nico slide one hand down Will’s perfect body to grip his muscular thigh, using the grip to adjust the tilt of Will’s hips a bit. He moved again, and this time he thrusted a bit deeper but Will’s reaction was far more dramatic. The blonde gripped his bicep in one hand, threw his back, and moaned “ _Gods_!”

Nico really didn’t think the gods deserved any praise at that particular moment, after all he was the one doing all the work. Still, Will was moaning and that was what he needed. Confident, he was hitting all the right places Nico picked up the pace. He found a steady pace that had Will gripping at his arm for dear life and crying his name with almost every motion. It also had the tension in his groin quickly turning into a ball of fire as he sped toward release. As much as Nico wanted it to last, Will felt so good, and sounded even better and he didn’t want to slow down.

“Nic….OHHHH” Will cried as his back arched off the bed, his body shuttering. Nico felt him tighten so much Nico could barely move within him, not that he needed to. It felt too good, the tension snapped and his climax rushed over him. Nico could feel himself pulse within Will’s tight channel as his vision tunneled and his muscles threatened to give way.

Nico wasn’t sure how long it lasted but there was a moment where the only sound was their labored breath and their pounding hearts. As the post-orgasmic bliss made the whole world feel like it was made of cotton the semi-silence was nice. The musical sound of Will’s laughter was what brought it to an end. Confused, Nico lifted his head to meet Will’s beautiful blue eyes. “You are so worth the wait” Will chuckled sounding almost delirious.

Nico groaned as he pulled out and fell on the bed next to Will “You have to stop talking like that.” He managed to pant out.

Will just laughed louder and Nico was sure he delirious. He felt Will shift his position on the bed, and when he glanced over he found Will laying on his side staring at him with clear amusement. “How have I been talking?” He questioned with amused curiosity.

Nico could feel himself blushing, there was no way he could repeat some of the things Will had said. “You know” Nico barely managed to mumble out the words.

“What?” Will questioned with a growing grin “Are you talking about how I said I wanted you inside me?”

“Will!” Nico protested. His face burned and he squirmed and reached for the blankets to cover himself out of modesty.

Will chuckled before leaning and placing a soft kiss. “Pretty boy if you don’t want me to say things like that you shouldn’t be so good in bed.” Will reasoned like he was explaining why the sky was blue or grass was green. Will let out a sigh before curling into Nico’s side and bringing his head to rest on Nico’s chest.

Reflexively Nico started playing with his hair “You don’t want to clean up?” He questioned uncertainly. He really didn’t want Will to move but he didn’t think he had the right to ask him to stay. After all he knew the sticky, empty feeling after bottoming.

Will stretched his arm across Nico’s chest rather heavily. “No, not even remotely” he declared his voice already heavy with sleep “too tired”

“Are you sure?” Nico questioned skeptically. The vivid memory of the messy feeling of Will’s….. fluids falling from him causing him to shutter. Nico was too tired to even try to tell himself he didn’t like the feeling but he still didn’t know how to handle that he liked it. Rather than face those feelings or talk about what those feelings could mean with Will Nico usually darted out of the room to clean up as soon as he could reasonably excuse himself.

Will clearly had no such issue as he yawned dramatically against Nico’s skin “I’ll shower in the morning.”

“We still need to finished the dishes” Nico reminded.

Will growled and pushed up on his elbow so he was looking down at Nico with a firm expression. “Deathboy, if you even attempt to get out of this bed I will tie you to it.” He stated with such seriousness Nico didn’t doubt him “We just had truly amazing sex. So amazing my toes still want to curl, so it’s time for cuddling and sleep.”

“We should at least put on clothes” Nico replied sheepishly.

Will rolled his eyes “Fine, but then cuddles!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone requested I translate the Italian. I may have missed an Oh gods but otherwise this is it:  
> Si prega di amore, mi permetta di darle quello che vuoi, quello che ti serve = Please love, let me give you what you want, what you need.  
> È colpa tua = It is your fault  
> Sono ancora in corso di leccarti = I’m still going to lick you  
> Sei così bello = You are so beautiful  
> Voglio leccare si apre = I want to lick you open  
> Sembri così bella = You sound so pretty  
> Niente più attese allora = No more waiting then  
> Forse un po = Maybe a little


	21. Let's talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!
> 
> I can't believe I haven't posted to this since February! Well, I'm back!
> 
> This isn't my favorite chapter but it is a fun little bit of awkwardness.
> 
> It takes place the morning after Nico left Will's to return to New York.
> 
> There are references to sex in this chapter

Will woke up and stretched before rolling over to wrap his arms around Nico’s sleeping form. It was probably still pretty early so even if it was a school day he could get in a good half hour of cuddling in before he actually had to get up. There was a problem with that plan Will realized as he found the space Nico had been occupying most of the last week empty. Then the memory came back to him, driving Nico to the bus station the night before.

Groaning at the unpleasant memory Will forced his eyes open and peeked at the clock sitting on his nightstand. It was 5:14 am, which meant Nico was probably back in New York and at Camp Half-Blood. Rolling onto his back Will stared up at his ceiling and tried not to dwell on it but Nico’s visit had been a tease and now waking up alone felt wrong.

Will laid there for a minute staring up at the ceiling. He thought about trying to go back to sleep but knew he wouldn’t be able to and staying in bed awake without Nico was just too depressing. After contemplating his options for a minute he figured he might as well just get out of bed. He had plenty of time before school, he could even make a breakfast (eggs were the only food he actually knew how to cook) for his mom as a thank you for being so understanding while Nico was visiting.

He climbed out of bed and got dressed more or less on autopilot, his mind was a million miles away. Actually, to be accurate, his mind was in New York with Nico. He wondered if his bus had gotten in okay and if he was already tucked away in the Hades cabin. Knowing Nico he was already curled up asleep in bed. He was probably under a pile of blankets too, Nico ran cold and so did the Hades cabin so when Will wasn’t around he knew Nico sleep with lots of blankets.

Once dressed Will went downstairs and walked into the kitchen to be surprised by his mother. She was already dressed and ready for work with a cup of coffee already in her hands. She was wearing a contemplative expression which was a little concerning but Will tried to stay cheerful. “Hey, you’re up early,” He greeted as he walked to the refrigerator and pulled the door open.

“I could say the same to you,” She replied as she sipped her coffee. Will could feel her watching him as he retrieved a pitcher of orange juice and placed it on the counter. “You’ve been tending to sleep in this past week.”

Will grinned more to himself then his mother as he retrieved a glass from the cupboard. “Nico’s not much of a morning person. I guess it rubs off a bit,” He admitted as he poured some juice in his glass before returning the pitcher to the refrigerator.

His mother smiled and let out an approving hum. “He really is such a sweet boy,” She all but sighed.

“He is,” Will agreed. He took his glass and moved to the table. “I should probably thank you for being the world’s coolest mom ever this past week about, you know, everything.” Will was still more than a little surprised his mom had let them share a bed all week. “I can make breakfast,” He offered hopefully.

“Why don’t you sit down, sweetie,” His mother stated firmly as opposed to answering his question. Her expression was so serious it could almost be described as grave.

“Why?” Will questioned nervously. He was already halfway in a chair but his mother’s voice gave him pause. “Is something wrong?”

“No,” His mother stated carefully rolling her coffee mug between her hands. “We just need to talk.”

“Mom, you have your something is wrong face,” Will pointed out seriously as he dropped himself into a chair at the kitchen table. Something had to be wrong, and since he had pretty much collapsed exhaustion after dropping Nico of at the bus station the night before Will couldn’t think of what it could be unless it was about Nico

“It’s my serious face,” She corrected firmly.

“Is this about Nico’s first night here and the morning after when you found us?” Will questioned nervously. He and Nico were practically experts at getting walked in on in compromising positions but his mom walking in on them sleeping naked was by far the worst. In Will’s opinion, it was even worse than the time Percy had walked in on them in the act. “I thought we already covered that.”

His mother remained silent with a serious expression. Will wasn’t often on the receiving end of his mother’s stern looks but on the rare occasion he was he understood why people said she was a difficult teacher. There was a stretch of nothing but the awkward silence that had Will ready to scream until she reached down, grabbed something off the floor, and tossing it on the table. It was a smallish cardboard box, a little shiny, with some writing scrolled above an easily recognizable logo; it was a box of condoms, Will had handed out too many condoms at camp not to recognize it. Will groaned and slumped back in his chair. “Gods mom, not the condoms again!” He protested “You gave me a box for my birthday, it’s starting to get weird.”

“This actually is the box I gave you for your birthday,” She informed, “I took it from your room a few days ago.” She explained, “The fact that you haven’t noticed it was missing is almost as telling as the fact it’s still wrapped in cellophane.”

“Umm…” Will hummed nervously. He remembered when his mom had given him the sex talk (which was horrifying at the time but after the talk with Apollo it didn’t seem so bad). She had been pretty clear that sex was a natural act and that there was nothing shameful about pre-marital sex as long as you were safe about it. He and Dean had actually joked that if Naomi ever got sick of teaching she could sell condoms. “Mom I…I mean we…um..” Will’s brain stubbornly refused to come up with a plausible explanation, or at least one that would get him out of this conversation.

“Will,” His mother stated warningly. “If you even think of trying to tell me you two weren’t having sex this week I may scream.”

The wheels in Will’s mind began to move, granted slowly, but at least he was having some thoughts. He couldn’t deny that they had been sexual, there was no way his mom would believe that, but he could deny they actually had sex. “Well, I mean we-” He started hoping to make it sound convincing.

“Sweetie” Naomi cut him off with as she placed her hand on his arm reassuringly. “You two are not nearly as quiet as you think you are.” She explained. Will was horrified and he was sure it read on his face. He knew they had made a little bit of noise but they had really tried hard to keep it down and Will had thought they were mostly successful. “Honestly, it’s an old house the walls are paper thin you really shouldn’t be surprised.”

There was a moment where Will felt suspended in a state of disbelief. It was nice but didn’t last, his mother was right the house really was old. When he was younger it had always amazed him how his mom always seemed to know when he and Dean were up to no good, it took him years to figure out that she could just hear them. Then it occurred to him, how many times his mother likely heard them and saying he was horrified would have been a huge understatement. He dropped his head to the table with a loud thud. “Oh, my gods.”

“Will, it’s really not a big deal,” She stated dismissively or maybe she was going for reassuring (if she was, she failed). “It’s not like teenagers being sexually active is a surprise to me.”

“Oh, my gods!” Will groaned the sound of his voice sounding muffled because his forehead was still resting on the table.

“What has me concerned is from what I could hear,” His mother began and Will couldn’t help but whine. Nico could never know about this, he would shadow travel to the underworld and never come back out of pure embarrassment. “You two were _pretty_ active and yet this box is untouched.”

Will picked his head off the table and blinked at her for a moment. “Um?” Could he still suggest they hadn’t had sex, at least not anything penetrative? Maybe he could lie and say Nico had brought condoms? He wasn’t sure but something about the seriousness of her gaze told him that might not be the best course of action. Still, he wasn’t going to openly admit to his mother that he and Nico had been having unprotected sex so he didn’t really know what to do.

Where had he shoved that box of condoms from his birthday in the first place? He sincerely couldn’t remember, he hadn’t given them much thought after the immediate embarrassment of getting condoms from his mom. Did the fact that she found them mean she had searched his whole room? He wanted to feel violated by that thought but she had let Nico sleep in his bed for the last week and didn’t once say anything when she could apparently hear what they were doing.

Wait, if she searched his whole room, would that include his between his mattress and box spring where he had hidden the pictures of Nico……Oh, dear gods!

“You told me you were being safe” She stated forcefully driving Will out of his own panicked thoughts.

It took Will a minute to actually remember what she was talking about. On the ridiculously long car ride back from New York at the end of the summer, she had asked something about that and Will must have given some kind of answer. Will had pretty much forgotten most of that conversation since it was far from the most memorable part of the trip. The truth was they had stopped using condoms before even that conversation had occurred so Will didn’t see how he could be held to it. “Oh” was the only thing Will could think to say.

“Don’t oh me young man!” His mother retorted in her trademarked disapproving teacher voice. “STDs are a very real thing.”

Will must have been delirious, maybe he should have stayed in bed to stave off sleep deprivation because he started laughing as soon as he realized what conversation his mother was trying to give him. “Are you giving me the safe sex talk?”

“Yes,” She replied sounding slightly annoyed that he was questioning that. “Why is that funny?”

“Mom” Will smiled in spite of how awkward the whole situation was. “I give this talk at camp at least three times a week.” He explained.

It wasn’t part of the rules or anything but Will always felt weird handing out condoms especially to campers who had never asked him for any before. Camp was great for learning how to handle being demigods and surviving but there wasn’t a whole lot of direction in other areas. Combine that with a general lack of supervision (Chiron took a hands-off approach to a lot of things and Dionysus didn’t really care) and bad things were bound to happen. Will never asked but he was sure avoiding problems was why the Apollo cabin was allowed to hand out condoms in the first place, so Will just figure it was his responsibility to make sure people had the knowledge as well as materials. Not every counselor from the Apollo had the same philosophy. He was too young to be privy to how Lee had handled the situation but he remembered Michael handed condoms out like they were candy. Will often wished he was a little less responsible because it led to some really awkward conversations.

Naomi eyed him sternly, clearly unimpressed by Will’s self-appointed role as camp sex ed. teacher. “Then would you care to explain why you aren’t practicing what you preach?” She questioned.

She could actually expect him to answer that. “Mom!” Will complained hoping she would let the whole subject drop.

“Yes, I’m your mother,” She retorted firmly “and I’m concerned.”

Will huffed part out of frustration and part out of desperation. She wasn’t going to let this whole conversation go. He was going to have to say something to explain. “We…..I mean at first we…..” Will began to stammer through what was likely to be an incoherent explanation. He stopped as he met his mother’s expectant gaze. “Gods, you’re my mom! I can’t talk to you about this!”

Naomi remained unmoved, her expression serious and determined. “You said you wanted to thank me for being understanding.” She reminded “Start talking”

Will groaned. Why had he gotten out of bed so early? Why hadn’t he just slept in like every other teenager on the planet? “We used protection at first but …….” Will picked a blank spot on the cabinets to stare at as he attempted to talk because he just couldn’t look at his mother while even attempting to explain this to her. “Well, we had both been …..” The word virgins was just too weird to use while actually talking to his mother about his sex life so in its place he made a few weird nondescript hand gestures. “ya know before, so we just kind of stopped.” He shrugged before quickly adding “And before you start I know there are other ways to catch STDs besides sex.”

“Will,” Naomi spoke his name sternly and when Will looked he saw her shaking her head disapprovingly, “this is a bad habit to start.”

Will sighed “Mom, please let’s not do more of your health teacher impressions.” He borderline begged. He had officially shared more with his mother about his sex life than he ever could have imagined and he just wanted….no needed the whole thing to be over.

His mother shook her head again and Will could feel the parental speech coming before she even started talking. “Both you and Nico may have been virgins-”

“Mom!” Will protested. Somethings should never be heard coming from your parents and he was pretty sure that statement was one of them.

“But you’re not now,” She continued ignoring his little outburst. “Sweetie, you’re going off to college, things happen.”

Will didn’t like the suggestion in that statement. He had plenty of people telling him that college was about going wild and a few suggesting being a relationship would just hold him back. That may be what college represented to some people but not him. “I would never,” He replied firmly. The idea of cheating repulsed him.

“I’m not saying that,” She stated patiently, almost sympathetically.

“Nico would never,” Will stated more insistently. Not only was Nico a bit uncomfortable dealing with new people (and physical contact) but he was extremely loyal, Will just couldn’t imagine Nico cheating. Well, at least not outside of very specific circumstances (involving very specific people) but the chances of that coming up was slim.

“I’m not saying that either,” His mother replied in the same patient voice as before. “Sweetie, you could break up.”

“What if we don’t?” Will questioned, looking down at his hands in hopes of hiding his feelings. “Ever?”

“Did you get engaged without telling me?” She replied with a question of her own and she sounded serious. She sounded like she wouldn’t have been at all surprised if he answered yes.

“No,” Will replied with a shrug. He had definitely thought about it, they might have been young but Will knew what he wanted and didn’t think his age mattered when it came to that. Still, he figured they should both graduate high school before proposing. “I figured we should live together at least a year first,” He commented off-handedly. He knew he and Nico had agreed to keep moving in together to themselves for now but he didn’t think that comment counted as telling (even if it did serve as a reminder which made Will grin in spite of the awkward conversation).

“I’ll make a deal with you,” His mother declared before taking a moment to pause and sip at her coffee. “When you two make plans to move in together you have my official blessing to stop using condoms.” She stated before patting the box of condoms that was still sitting on the table and pushing it toward him. “Until then, suit up.”

Will had to work hard to school his features because he desperately wanted to grin and point out they already had plans to live together but that moment was definitely not the time for him to drop that bomb. “Sure, I think we can do that.” Will managed in a carefully neutral voice.

His mother took a large swallow of her coffee before staring down at the inside of the mug. She pushed out of her chair and moved toward the coffee maker. “To answer the question I’m sure you thought of at some point,” She begin as she grabbed the half-full coffee pot and tipped it over her mug, replenishing her cup. “I did search your room, which I know is a complete invasion of your privacy.” She paused as she replaced the pot of coffee on the hot plate of the coffee maker. Will stayed silent and waited for her to continue, imagining all the millions of ways the conversation could get worse. “And yes I did look under your bed” Will found himself holding his breath as his heart tried to beat out of his chest “But I didn’t look inside that big envelop you had hidden there.” Will involuntarily breathed a large sigh of relief and felt the stress and tension leave his body. “I figured you are well-behaved enough to be allowed some secrets.”

“Thank the gods” Will felt like he was actually praying a thank you to which ever god had inspired that thought.

“It better not be drugs,” She stated firmly.

The muffled sound of a car’s horn rang through the house. It was early still but Will would recognize that sound anywhere, it was Dean’s car. The thing sounded like it looked, sickly. “Definitely not drugs,” Will assured pushing out of his chair. He had no idea what had inspired his cousin to be early for once but he was extremely grateful.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so I am still taking requests for Outtakes but I do try to keep it in chronological order so if I already passed it then I likely won't cover it. That doesn't mean you can't ask because if it sounds like a lot of fun to write I may do it anyway :)
> 
> This is like my soap box chapter- Moral: Safe sex is important people!
> 
> Comments and Kudos warm my soul


	22. Commute

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun story! I totally forgot today was Wednesday.
> 
> This chapter builds on the previous one so - References to sex.
> 
> Enjoy!

Dean pulled into Aunt Naomi’s driveway, put his car in park (the car growled in reply which couldn’t be a sign of anything good) and honked the horn to let Will know it was time to go. Normally he would go in but Thanksgiving break had not been nearly long enough- he felt both exhausted and restless. So he was both early and uninterested in moving more than he had to.

He was ten or fifteen minutes early which was fine because Will was a freak of nature and was always up at dawn. He wouldn’t have been so early if Felix had wanted a ride, he had offered and Felix had said yes until he remembered that Dean always gave Will a ride to school then he changed his mind. Dean really wished the two of them would just get over their girl fight already.

A few minutes past and Will didn’t emerge from the house. Even with him being early Will should have been ready to go, most mornings he complained about waiting around for Dean to show up. Of course, the week before Will had seemed to be sleeping in and Dean figured Nico wasn’t as much of a morning person as Will was, or maybe they just were staying up especially late. Either way, when Dean had called the day after Thanksgiving it wasn’t even that early (maybe 9 am) and Will had sounded groggy like he was just waking up. Maybe the week of sleeping in had thrown off his cousin’s circadian rhythm or something.

Dean honked again this time pressing the heel of hand against the center of the wheel with more insistence. Impatiently, he started fidgeting with dials and nobs on his dash. His first target was the temperature controls, the morning was brisk and a little heat would have been nice, but as soon as he did he remembered his car had been issuing the strange smell whenever he turned on the heat (and knew Will would bitch) so he turned it right back off. Next, he moved to the radio, turning the volume up to find the current station playing some popish-country song his ex-girlfriend had just loved (his ex-girlfriend had been a complete bitch- pass). The next preset was Felix’ and was more or less a top-40 station but it tended a bit more toward rap and hip-hop then was really Dean’s taste especially so early in the morning. The next station was one that Will had set around the time Dean got the car almost a year ago, it was an alternative rock station which was usually a pretty safe bet for good music. It was half way through a song by some almost emo band singing about having a crush which Dean recognized immediately as the song Felix always bitched about (so much so he felt himself reflexively cringe in preparation).

Groaning Dean turned the radio back off and moved to hit the horn for the third time but Will finally walked out the front door. He looked a bit disheveled with his book bag over one shoulder and his gym bag over the other. The sight reminded Dean that they had soccer practice which had him groaning again- the first day back from break was just too soon for soccer practice.

Will walked to the backseat passenger side door and pulled it open more roughly than at all necessary and tossed his gym bag on the backseat. He slammed the door shut before Dean could remind him to be more delicate. The little Honda may have been precious to Dean but it was also as old as God and currently being held together primarily with hope and duct tape, she needed to be treated with kid gloves.

Dean actually winced in pain as Will yanked his door open and dropped himself unceremoniously into the passenger seat. Dean turned to give Will crap about manhandling his geriatric car but one look at the pensive expression on his cousin’s face had him swallowing down those words, now was not the time. “What’s up with you?” He questioned with genuine curiosity. Sure, Dean had expected Will to be a bit….pouty considering Nico had left late the night before but this appeared to be something different. “You look like you’re in a mood.”

“It’s nothing,” Will grumbled as he fastened his seatbelt and attempted to arrange his legs in a comfortable position under the glove compartment.

Dean would never admit it out loud but that was one of the things he liked about his car. Dean was tall but Will was a fucking giant and even if they were friends and as close as brothers Dean still had his moments of annoyance with his cousin. Will was an academic overachiever that was graduating a year early, he never took soccer too seriously but was still a beast on the field, and even though he was younger than Dean he had been taller since he was twelve. So every now and again Dean enjoyed watching his cousin’s height work against him like when he failed to fit comfortably in the passenger seat of the Honda.

Dean shifted the car into reverse and started backing out of the driveway. He eyed his cousin seriously as he spoke, “Okay, I love you and everything but-” Dean gave a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure nothing was in his path. Not only was he sure Aunt Naomi would kill him if he hit the mailbox again he doubted his car could handle another collision (even a small one) “-if you’re going to wear that sour face all day because Nico’s gone back to New York I’m going to have a hard time dealing with you.” The statement was equal parts teasing and truthful. Loved Will to death and everything but he had used up his “pouting over the boyfriend” points for the year already.

“It’s not about Nico,” Will stated extremely unconvincingly as he shifted again in his seat as he continued to fail to find a comfortable place to put his legs.

It was a challenge but Dean managed to swallow his groan. “Sure it isn’t.” He replied flatly as he shifted the car to drive and started down the block.

“Dude,” Will huffed and slumped down in his seat in surrender. “I just had to have like a twenty-minute conversation with my mom about condoms.”

“Oh god!” Dean exclaimed in horror before realizing he was about to run a stop sign causing him to slam on the brakes. He may have actually shuttered at the thought. Dean didn’t really know his mom and his dad, while fun, kind of sucked at doing the adult stuff so Aunt Naomi had been a lot like a parent to him. The thought of talking to Aunt Naomi about anything regarding sex was horrifying – and unfortunately, he had experienced it before.

Dean glanced over at Will to confirm he had actually heard him correctly. Will squirmed and this time Dean recognized it for what it was, discomfort. “Yeah,” Will confirmed in a small voice.

“That’s horrible!” Dean exclaimed as he turned onto the main road, taking a left to head toward the school.

“Yeah” Will agreed with a heavy sigh.

“Did she do another demonstrating involving zucchini?” He questioned. Part of him didn’t actually want to know the answer. He remembered when Aunt Naomi had decided that sexual education was woefully inadequate and declared it was her responsibility to make sure both he and Will knew how to properly use a condom. “I’m pretty sure I’m still traumatized from that and I still can’t eat zucchini.”

“No,” Will replied quickly “There were no demonstrations involving produce, thank the gods.”

One of these days Dean was going to question, or at least point out, Will’s tendency to say “gods” instead of “god” but today wasn’t that day. Try as he might Dean just couldn’t figure out what Will and Aunt Naomi could have discussed related to condoms for so long if it didn’t involve demonstrations. He probably was better off not knowing but he couldn’t stop himself from asking, “So?”

Will groaned and threw up his hands. “You want me to relive it?” He questioned with clear outrage.

Dean brought the car to a stop at the town’s main stop light as he shrugged. “Yeah” he admitted quietly.

“No,” Will stated firmly and from the corner of Dean’s eye he could see Will shake his head for emphasis. “Thanks”

The light finally turned green and Dean drove through the intersection as his hand worked the over-worn steering wheel nervously. He didn’t want to ask a stupid and inadvertently offensive but he still was curious. In the end, he figured if he said something stupid Will would forgive him. “This is such an awkward question but do you guys even…..” Dean could actually feel Will thinking he was an idiot and suddenly finding basic words like condoms became impossible. “I mean, it’s not like you have to worry about pregnancy.” He explained with a nervous laugh. He should have just kept his mouth shut to begin with, it would have been easier. “Well, I guess there are STDs.”

“Dude, are you trying to ask if Nico and I use condoms?” Will questioned. Dean heard his cousin turn in his seat to stare at him full on. That definitely wasn’t helping Dean feel less like an idiot.

As close of friends as he and Will were there was always that familial element to their friendship that made certain topics a bit more difficult to discuss, the main one being sex. Sure, they talked about it but never in detail and rarely in regards to their own experiences. “Yeah, I guess I am,” Dean admitted uncomfortably before quickly adding. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want.”

“We did, at first,” Will sighed before continuing “but no, not so much anymore more.” He explained, “Which was kind of the problem.”

Alright, maybe Dean should just chalk up his confusion to ignorance and call it a day. He didn’t exactly so how that was a problem. Personally, Dean didn’t know if he was more terrified of STDs or getting someone pregnant. Either way, he always wore a condom. He recognized their importance but it wasn’t like latex felt sexy. “Want to explain that statement?” he questioned.

Will was quiet for such a long time Dean figured they had crossed the line into too-personal and Will wouldn’t answer. When Will audibly groaned and started talking he was more than a little surprised. “Mom got me a box of condoms for my birthday as a joke.”

“Right,” Dean said as an encouragement for Will to continue. For the sake of time and wanting Will to keep talking Dean didn’t point out that Aunt Naomi hadn’t meant it as a joke. He himself had been on the receiving end of one of Aunt Naomi’s super awkward but extremely handy birthday gifts when he was dating his last girlfriend. Considering Will had literally snuck his boyfriend into the house for a sleepover and the next day was covered in hickeys Dean had no doubt that Aunt Naomi had meant business.

“Well,” Will shifted his shoulders. He couldn’t blame Dean’s car for any discomfort there, the Honda may have been small but there was plenty of shoulder space. “A few days ago she noticed it wasn’t even open.”

Oh, that was not good. During Nico’s visit, he and Will seemed to have made it their mission to have sex on or against every flat surface they could find and they really weren’t subtle about it. Aunt Naomi wasn’t stupid, or one of those parents with her head in the sand. She knew Will was having sex and during her safe sex talk, she had heavily stressed the safe part. If Dean remembered correctly (a large part of him tried to block out the entire conversation had happened) she had explicitly told them that she knew they would have premarital sex but if she found out that they were having unprotected sex she would have their hides. “Did you try to deny it?” He questioned.

“I’m not an idiot,” Will replied quickly. “Of course I did!” He slouched in his seat again before he continuing in a much quicker voice. “But apparently we were _sometimes_ louder than I thought.”

Dean had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing out loud. Of course, he recognized his cousin situation was embarrassing and uncomfortable but Will had just spent the last week getting a ton of action so it was hard to be too sympathetic. “You said he was a screamer,” He reminded with a bit of a snicker in his voice.

“Shut up!” Will growled back at him.

Dean took a minute to compose himself, schooling his features, and whipping the grin off his face. “So what happened?” He asked after a few minutes. Dean was pretty proud of himself because he actually managed to sound more sympathetic and less amused.

Will was silent for a long stretch and Dean was sure that he was pissed that Dean had sort of laughed at the whole thing. Will sighed before he answering in a quiet voice, “I had to promise we would use protection until we moved in together.”

“That’s not too bad.” Dean pointed out sincerely. “You know how your mom is about safe sex, you’re lucky it wasn’t til marriage.”

“I’m more disturbed about having that conversation with my mother than where it ended.” Will assured.

“Well, you better follow through dude,” Dean pointed out. “You know she will figure it out if you don’t.” Aunt Naomi had those freaking parent powers where she just seemed to sense things she couldn’t possibly know.  

“Yeah,” Will agreed weakly. There was an odd quality to his voice that Dean was sure most people would have missed but he and Will had been too close for too long. “She is a bloodhound about that stuff.”

Dean pulled into the high school’s main drive before turning to the senior parking lot. Once he parked he glanced over at his cousin and could see that he wasn’t saying something he desperately wanted to and he had a strong suspicion about what it was. “You two already have plans to move in together, don’t you?”

“What?” Will actually jumped in his seat before turning to stare at Dean with wide eyes. “Why would you ask that?”

“Because it’s written all over your face!” He shouted back, and it really truly was. Dean was actually a little disappointed in himself for not picking up on it earlier. “Seriously?”

He watched (and waited) as Will clearly had some sort of internal struggle. “Yeah,” he finally admitted clearly trying (and mostly failing) to contain a smile at the thought. “Nico actually was the one to bring it up.”

Dean decided for the time being it wasn’t important to point out that Will had been the one to bring it up first. The way Nico freaked out when Will brought it up when they were all out for coffee it had definitely been the first time the guy had heard the idea. “When did this happen?”

“Thanksgiving.” Will replied with a bit of a shrug as he looked down at his hands. He was clearly avoiding making eye contact.

“Dude!” Dean shouted. He thought about punching the steering wheel out of frustration but resisted the urge because he knew his car couldn’t take it. “First, I find out you’re going against the plan and thinking about going to college in fucking California-” Dean was really trying to be cool about that but it was THE PLAN. They had been talking about going to college together since they were ten! Will had never once mentioned having even the shadow of an interest in California but now, all of a sudden he is bringing it up like a real possibility and it was too late for Dean to apply to anything out west. It was like Will was purposefully trying to ditch him. “-and now you’re telling me even if you do go to Columbia you’re going to be shacking up with your boy toy instead of hanging with me in the dorms!”

Will winced and blinked up at Dean. “You’re mad?” He questioned nervously.

“I’m fucking livid!” Dean admitted and even that sounded like an understatement. Everything they had planned was falling apart before it even began and Dean really didn’t understand why.

“I’m _sorry_ ” Will whined and throw up his hands. “It’s just…it’s _Nico_.”

“Yes, you’re whipped, that’s been established!” He groaned before pushing back in his own seat. He took a deep breath and reminded himself that having a temper tantrum wasn’t going to change anything. “Doesn’t Nico have to finish high school?”

“Yeah” Will replied with a shrug.

“Isn’t that in New York?” Dean questioned. Yeah, it would suck to be stuck in the dorms while Will shacked up with his boyfriend in some apartment but that would still be moderately better than Will living in California. At least Will would be around and they could still hang out if he was in New York and Nico seemed like a cool guy (in an intimidatingly attractive sort of way) he could hang out with him too (as long as Will and Nico could refrain from engaging in too much PDA). Will having an apartment could be a good thing, Dean could accommodate that into the plan. He couldn’t accommodate California.

“Not necessarily,” Will stated. “Nico’s sister lives in California”

Dean really didn’t get Nico’s family situation, the bits Will let slip were confusing and contradictory. He pushed questions related to that aside for the moment and went straight for the guilt trip (hey he had learned something useful from his ex-girlfriends). “Oh, so you’re relocating for his family?”

“I have friends that live in California too!” Will defended quickly. “And we haven’t made any decisions yet about where we are going to live.”

Dean killed the car’s engine before turning to face his cousin. “Will, I just want to say how adorable it is that you say ‘we’ when we both know you mean Nico.” He retorted with a bit of edge in his voice. Nico did really seem like a cool guy, and he clearly made Will happy so Dean didn’t want to blame Will’s decisions on the guy but he did seem to be at the root of many of them.

“It’s not like that!” Will shouted back.

Dean sighed, took the key out of the ignition, and pushed his door open. “Sure it isn’t.” He replied sarcastically before climbing out of the car.


	23. Does your friend play football?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who totally forgot today was Wednesday (Me!)
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoy this little tidbit.

As far as first back from vacation went Will didn’t think that this one was going half bad, especially considering how the morning had started. After having to talk condom use with his mom, and confessing his plans to move in with Nico to Dean he had expected police cars to show up at the school.

At first, Will really had thought that he (and more importantly Nico) were in the clear from the whole Eric incident when the sheriff’s car didn’t show up at his door that night. Now that he had returned to school and seen Eric’s face (his nose was definitely broken) his fear regarding the situation had skyrocketed again. Or at least it did for two or three class periods but the more time went by and nothing happened Will actually started to relax. That, of course, was a big mistake.

It was halfway through fifth period (practically lunch) when Will got called down to the coach’s office. When his chemistry teacher told him to head to the coach’s office Will really wanted to protest. At camp, Chiron was pretty easy to deal with, if you could present a reasonable argument for why you should or shouldn’t have to do something he would usually listen. Traditional teachers just didn’t work that way. That was something that Will had had to learn the hard way when he returned from his year at camp.

Knowing he had no choice Will gathered up his things, ignored the look he got from Felix and went straight to the coach’s office. The whole walk down to the coach’s office he tried to think of a reason he would have been called down in the first place and came up with nothing. By the time he got there Will felt like he was walking into a mystery fight which wasn’t the greatest feeling ever.

Still, he knocked on the door (hoping the coach wouldn’t answer), and when the coach called for him to come on in Will did. The son of Apollo carefully closed the door behind him but stayed close in hopes that he was called down for something trivial and could leave quickly.

The coach was seated at a desk that was too large for his tiny office which just made the whole space feel smaller and more cluttered. Will doubted the space was originally meant to be an office in the first place. The tiny room was right next to the gym and had no windows, not even on the door. Will was sure the space was supposed to be a storage closet or something. The lack of natural light made him feel claustrophobic.

“You wanted to see me, coach?” Will questioned. Maybe the whole thing was a mistake and he had meant to call for Dean. Was Dean failing any classes? Will didn’t have a clue, which was odd. Dean had certainly complained enough when he was flunking biology. Maybe Will’s lack of knowledge meant that Dean was doing fine academically. The coach still could have been calling Dean down for some other reason.

“Yeah, Will take a seat” the coach stated gesturing to the rickety old chair that sat facing his desk. Will’s stomach dropped, the coach had definitely meant to call for him, and there was no questioning that now. What was worse, the coach had actually used his first name. The coach never called anyone by their first names. He and Dean always joked that they were probably the only players on the soccer team whose first names the coach even knew. The only reason for that being their shared last name, and still most of the time the coach just screamed “Solace!” and when they both looked he would just point to the one he wanted. The fact that the coach was using his first name now couldn’t mean anything good.

“Alright,” Will replied rather numbly as he moved further into the small space. He could feel his knees wobble-y slightly as he moved. Will had delivered a baby without getting shaky or nervous until after but this had him quivering in fear.

The coach waited until Will sat down in the rickety old chair, with Will did so slowly. The chair looked about a hundred years old and Will was a big guy he was honestly more than a little nervous that the chair wouldn’t actually support his weight. It was quite the pleasant surprise when all it did was creak loudly in protest.

“I’m aware that you and Marsh….I mean Eric have had an on-going ….” The coach swallowed and he shifted awkwardly in his seat. “Well, let’s call it a difference of opinion.”

 _Difference_ _of opinion_ was a borderline offensive way of describing Eric going out of his way to harass Will over his sexual orientation. It took everything in Will not to point that out with a nasty attitude (like something Nico would have been seriously proud of). He had no idea what the coach had called him in for so copping an attitude was probably the worst idea. He shoved his negative emotions down (metaphorically speaking) for the moment being and gave a small shrug. “I guess.”

“Now, I haven’t gotten involved,” The coach stated like Will wasn’t very astutely aware of his, or really any teacher’s, lack of involvement. It was the south, Will figured indifference was better than some of the alternatives. “I thought you two could work things out on your own.”

That was funny, coach acting like he’s failure to step in had to do with anything but being uncomfortable. Will managed not to laugh where was no small feet. “Right.”

“Now I guessing that might not have been the best choice.” The coach explained gravely. “It has come to my attention there was an….. _incident_ over break.”

Not exactly news but when Will imagined an authority figure confronting him about the Eric incident he was expecting the sheriff not the coach. “Um….” He hummed confused (and rather uncomfortable about that confusion).

“I don’t know if you are aware” The coach continued “but Eric broke his nose”

That made sense. The way Eric’s nose appeared bent after Nico had driven him into the wall of the café (and all the blood) Will would have been more surprised if Eric hadn’t broken his nose. Will didn’t even feel bad about it, and he had patched up enough campers to know that a broken nose was painful. At the end of the day, Eric had gotten what he deserved and Will knew it, he also knew that wasn’t what the coach would want to hear. “That’s unfortunate,” Will offered without really meaning it.

Will doubted he sounded very convincing but the coach didn’t comment. “Now I have spoken to the sheriff-” The coach began to explain clearly trying to sound reassuring but he was the coach. Will was positive that the coach just didn’t have reassuring in him. “-and I know he isn’t interested in pursuing any charges” Will was trying not to react to anything but that he wanted to sigh with relief. Having Nico visit had been nice and he wouldn’t lie and say he hadn’t thought of him doing it again before the end of the school year but that wouldn’t be possible if Will was arrested. “But I felt it was my responsibility, as your coach to get to the bottom of this whole situation,” The coach stared at him for a moment before continuing, “I already spoke to Eric-”

Will wasn’t an angry person. When faced with a stressful situation Will usually handled it with ease but even thinking about how Eric probably tried twisting the whole situation in the café around so he looked like some kind of victim. The thought made Will’s blood boil. “Coach I didn’t lay a finger on him” he stated disappointed at how his anger bled into his voice. “And if Eric is saying otherwise-”

The coach held up his hands stopping Will from continuing, “No accusations are being made,” he assured although Will didn’t feel all that assured. Will waited for the coach to continue, and watched with confusion as the coach shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “But Eric didn’t mention to me your…” The middle-aged teacher shifted again. Will noticed how he was carefully looking anywhere but at Will and he was clearly trying to pick his next word carefully. “ _friend_ …” The coach probably should have tried harder to pick his words, Will thought. The fact that the man had the audacity to use his fingers to put quotes around the words didn’t help, “..had some involvement.”

Will’s mind worked slowly to figure out what the coach was actually talking about. It was so obvious but Will wasn’t sure if anyone had ever referred to Nico as his friend. Even before they started dating, people would call Nico his crush, or his patient, or probably a million other things when Will wasn’t around but never his friend. It wasn’t that he and Nico weren’t friends because they were it was just there was always more to it than that. He probably started blankly at the coach before all the gears clicked into place and he fully realized what they were actually talking about. “Wait, this is about Nico?”

The coach stared up at him in surprise which was just confusing. Did he think Will’s boyfriend didn’t have a name? Did he think Will wouldn’t say it? Did he expect Will just sit there silently? Or did he just expect Will to confirm Eric’s bullshit? “Is that your… “Friend’s” name?” So apparently the word _boyfriend_ wasn’t in the coach’s vocabulary. The level of discomfort with the entire topic of conversation was more than evident in the coach’s voice which just made everything worse.

When Will had first come out, the news got around the school pretty quickly. Will guessed he wasn’t all that surprised about that, he was a popular, athlete it was big news. He had been a little surprised at first that the coach didn’t say a word to him about it. The man was overly involved in all his teammate’s romantic lives. When Wash started dating Nora and his grades shot up the coach was ready to throw Nora a party and Dean’s first real girlfriend had a bit of a reputation for being a trouble-maker and coach hounded and lectured Dean about her more than Will did. So the fact that he had said nothing to Will was odd and it took him a bit to realize it was the coach trying to avoid an uncomfortable situation. So the coach acted like he didn’t know anything which was why he hadn’t don’t anything about Eric’s harassment.  

Maybe that was the cause of the overwhelming anger Will felt building in the pit of his stomach. An adult that should have cared but was too blinded by his own homophobia to actually care. That was why Will liked it so much a camp, adults weren’t like that there- Chiron wasn’t like that. “Yes,” Will retorted through clenched teeth before adding more out of spite than anything else, “That’s my boyfriend’s name?”

“Right, yes” The coach looked down at his desk and started rearranging papers with a nervous disorganized energy. “Well, since Eric broke his nose he will be unable to play for the rest of the season.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Will replied with a casual shrug. Mentally, he made note to burn an offering to Nemesis as a thanks.

“Now your….friend.” The coach started and stopped just as quickly the word friend all but choking him. He squirmed, a grown man, squirming with discomfort.

“Nico” Will offered flatly. If the coach refused to call Nico Will’s boyfriend he was at least going to call him by his name. It was a beautiful name, after all, fitting for the beautiful person Nico was. Nico deserved to be called by his name.

“Right,” The coach nodded with understanding as he continued to shuffle papers around his desk without evident purpose. Will would have sworn the coach was getting more uncomfortable the more he talked. The man coughed, reached for the water bottle on his desk, realized it was empty, and cursed under his breath. “He wouldn’t happen to play football would he?”

Will felt like he had been slapped in the face. He blinked hard but it didn’t help, the question still made no sense. Why did the coach care about Nico at all? “Um…..no,” Will answered uncertainly.

The coach let out a heavy sigh that sounded a lot disappointed. The coach finally looked up from his desk and his expression was the opposite of disappointed- he looked hopeful. “Think he’d be interested?”

“Um….” Will managed. Were they seriously having this conversation? “Coach I don’t think football would really be Nico’s game.” He explained with as much sympathy as he could muster which wasn’t a lot. The idea of Nico playing foot did bring a smile to Will’s face. It wasn’t that Will could imagine Nico actually playing football, he figured Nico more for individual sports rather than team sports. Still, they had talked about football and plenty over the summer. “I actually can’t get him to just call it football instead of _American_ football” Will couldn’t help but laugh a little at that. Nico was pretty insistent on that one, and it was usually followed by how idiotic American football was. It was cute how passion Nico would get but he would try to hide it. “He’s Italian so maybe soccer but no football.”

“Damn,” the coach hissed and shook his head in disappointment.

Now, Will found himself grinning for a whole new reason. The coach had actually called him here because he was interested in recruiting Nico for the football team. It was just so amusing for so many reasons it was hard not to laugh. “Also, he lives in New York City,” Will added figuring it would be better to kill all hope now.

“Double damn,” The coach slumped back in his chair. “Figured if he could overpower Eric I would at least have some raw material to work with.” He threw up his hands at a sign of surrender.

“Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful coach,” Will offered before pointing at the coach’s door “Can I go back to class now.”

The coach huffed “Yeah, go back to class.” He shoed Will to the door but Will was barely out of the chair before something about the coach’s expression changed and he pointed at Will with a new spark of hope in his eyes. “If you know anyone that might be interested in playing some football you’ll let me know?”

“Yes, coach” Will promised taking half a step away from his chair and turning toward the door. The whole conversation may have been one of the weirdest things that had ever had ever happened to him and for a demigod that was saying something.


	24. Jealous is annoying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who forgot it was Wednesday! Me!
> 
> PLEASE READ: I am changing my update schedule for this and Normal Lives. After this Sunday Normal Lives will be updated every other week (still on Sunday) and Outtakes will be updated Wednesday as I finish chapters (I'm going to aim for every other week but I don't want to promise). Why, you ask- Well with chapter lengths increasing dramatically (which means they take longer to write) my job requiring more of my attention (being an adult is lame sometimes) and wanted to detach from my computer every so often I currently don't have time to work on much else. Changing my posting schedule will let me get back to work on some other projects so I can start posting those soon :)
> 
> Alright, enjoy the chapter!

It took forever to get off the phone with Percy because he had a million questions, most of which Nico had absolutely no intentions of answering. It took even longer to get rid of Austin, although he didn’t mind that as much. As annoying and invasive as Austin could be Nico did actually enjoy his company some of the time. They talked about Nico’s trip to Tennessee with only a few divergences to Nico’s sex life (Austin got far too much joy out of hearing about Will’s mom walking in on them sleeping naked).

Once they had discussed Nico’s trip, and then general going-ons of camp Austin insisted Nico try to call Will back. There wasn’t an answer which wasn’t surprising and Nico would rather talk to Will on his own. Austin still had to try calling Will himself with Nico’s phone and was equally as successful.

Austin left when Nico swore he would swing by the infirmary after he got something to eat. Nico wasn’t sure if that was something Austin actually cared about, Nico’s eating habits, or if it was something that Will told him to watch out for but either way Austin was persistent. They both knew even though Nico promised, before he went anywhere he was going to call Will back.

Will had called three times in rapid secession while Nico had been on the phone with Percy which was extremely odd. Will usually called once if Nico didn’t answer and didn’t try again for at least an hour (unless they were fighting) and Will should have been at soccer practice in the first place.

With cabin thirteen finally to himself, Nico peeked at the clock, did a little math and figured Will might be done with soccer practice at this point. He dug his phone out of his still packed bags, pulled up Will’s contact information, and hit send. The phone rang, and rang, and rang to the point that Nico was about to hang up when the ringing cut out and was replaced by Will’s voice. “Hey,” he greeted sounding relieved. “I called, you didn’t answer, I was wor-”

“I know,” Nico interjected feeling guilty that he hadn’t answered. “I’m sorry I was talking to Percy.”

“Oh” Will replied. That didn’t even count as a word but it still seemed loaded with emotion. Was it disappointment, or frustration, or a mix of the two? Nico wasn’t sure but he didn’t like it and it just made him feel worse.

Nico sat down on his bunk and tried to make himself comfortable although he felt a churning that suggested he was anything but comfortable. “Don’t you have practice?” Nico questioned in hopes of bringing the conversation around to a topic that Will was generally usually pretty happy about.

“Yeah it just got over,” Will replied, whatever negative emotion that had been in his voice before seemed gone now. Will sounded genuinely happy and Nico felt himself relaxing at the sound of that. “You have perfect timing.”

“I called twice,” Nico admitted before adding, “and Austin called once.” The memory of Austin snatching his phone and hitting redial was vivid. A year ago no one would have dared to do such a thing with Nico but now people just didn’t seem as frightened of him which was supposed to be a good thing but sometimes Nico wasn’t so sure about that. Of course, Austin had insisted on leaving a message which had been memorable for a whole bunch of other reasons. “He may have left a message which you should probably ignore.”

“Oh” Will replied and Nico got the impression that Will was going to listen to that message. He would just get an earful of sexual innuendo. But more important than that he could tell that Will had something more to say so he waited. The silence stretched out so long that Nico almost couldn’t take it. “So what did Percy want?” Will finally questioned and it felt weird like Will was asking a question he already knew the answer to.

Nico didn’t get it but Will got weird about Percy sometimes, especially when Percy brought up sex stuff. Considering Will couldn’t keep his mouth shut about their sex life Nico find it more than a little ironic. Nico remembered when he had told Will about the conversation that he and Percy had had when they had gone ring shopping for Annabeth. Will had gotten all weird and uncomfortable when he told him they had talked about sex. Nico didn’t get weird and uncomfortable knowing Will had walked in on Jason watching porn but whatever. It was just better to avoid the whole thing, and it really wasn’t worth worrying Will for nothing. “The usual Percy stuff,” Nico offered which was technically true just lacking in detail.

“That’s all?” Will questioned and Nico could swear he heard the doubt in Will’s voice.

“Yeah,” Nico assured, “I’m glad you called it got me out of that whole uncomfortable conversation.”

Will sighed heavily on the other end of the call. “Nic, Jason called me earlier,” He declared. Why did it feel like an accusation?

“So you know about Annabeth about Piper’s bizarre deal with Jason and Percy,” Nico replied before asking the question Nico had been dying to ask someone since talking to Percy but Austin just wouldn’t get Nico’s shock. “Who does that?”

“That’s why Percy called?” Will questioned although it was clear that he already knew the answer. Why did Will sound so anxious, Nico wondered.

Nico didn’t like it and he didn’t know how to fix it. Suddenly sitting on his bunk didn’t feel like an option so Nico pushed himself off his bunk and started pacing as he spoke. “Yeah, he wanted to ask me a bunch of sex questions.”

“I thought you said he called about the usual?” Will questioned, again his voice was tight although it sounded like Will was trying to hide it.

“It’s Percy,” Nico noted casually, even if he had to force it. If something was wrong, why wouldn’t Will just tell him what it was so Nico could fix it. Nico wanted to fix it, he wanted Will to be happy. “That is the usual.”

There was a sound from Will’s end of the line that Nico was pretty sure was a sigh. “And you don’t think that’s…..inappropriate?” Yeah, inappropriate was clearly not the word Will wanted to use.

Will still sounded bothered and Nico just didn’t get it. Will definitely talked to his friends about sex stuff, far more than Nico ever did. “Isn’t that why Jason called you?” He questioned.

There was a long pause before Will replied “Well, yeah” He spoke so softly Nico could only barely make out the words. Will was quick to add in a tone that really could only be called defensive, “but that’s different.”

“Why?” Nico questioned sincerely. He really didn’t see how it wasn’t the exact same thing, and Nico was much less likely to spill private details about him and Will’s own sex lives.

Will huffed audibly on the other end of the line. “You know why.”

Done with pacing Nico dropped back on his bunk and stared up at the inky blackness of his cabin’s roof. “There is nothing more between me and Percy then there is between you and Jason.” He stated firmly. “So you don’t need to plot Percy’s murder or anything,” he offered with a bit of a grin. He really wanted to hear the story behind that, and after realizing the slip-up Austin had become tight-lipped about the details.

Will’s end of the call was so silent for so long Nico started to become concerned their call had been disconnected. “What do you mean?” Will finally spoke, questioning nervously.

“Austin made a comment,” Nico explained simply. It was one of the unexpected benefits of befriending one of Will’s siblings, he got to hear all sorts of stories. He was sure Will would rather he not know some of them but Nico liked knowing Will wasn’t always perfect, and some of the stories were embarrassing but also really sweet.

“Please remind Austin to keep his comments to himself,” Will huffed “I know things he probably wouldn’t want people knowing.” Nico wasn’t sure if that was true or not, he was sure Will knew some embarrassing things about Austin- Nico knew some embarrassing things about Austin and he hadn’t known him that long- but he doubted that Austin cared if people knew embarrassing things about himself.

The fell silent for a minute and Nico’s mind sort of wandered back to his conversation with Percy. Not the sex stuff of course, after Percy had exhausted his bank of questions the topic had rolled around to other things, specifically Percy’s bachelor party. “Will,” Nico broke the silence nervously “I was hoping that maybe you could call Percy.”

“Why?” Will questioned with clear distaste.

Nico sighed, he had been hoping Will would just do it without questioning it. “Because of Percy’s stupid bachelor party.” He explained. “He said it would be weird to invite you because well….. you know.” Nico didn’t want to keep secrets from Will but sometimes he wished Will didn’t know that he had once had a crush on Percy. It certainly would have made his life less complicated at times. “Hearing you’ve plotted his murder doesn’t help with the perceived awkwardness.”

“I didn’t seriously-” Will started to defend and if Nico didn’t know better he would have sworn Will sounded frustrated.

“Will it’s not a big deal.” Nico interrupted dismissively. “Everyone has plotted to kill Percy at some point, I know I have,” It may not have been Nico’s finest hour but it was true. “I just really don’t want to go to the stupid bachelor party by myself,” Nico admitted with a bit of a huff. He knew he sounded like a whiney child, or as Austin put it he was being adorably co-dependent, but he didn’t care. Percy was great but Nico was sure he would drag them somewhere Nico didn’t want to be and Nico knew that he would just be more comfortable if Will was there too. “So maybe if you talk to him…”

Will let out an agitated noise that Nico had only ever heard directed at other children of Apollo trying to get out of clinic duty. “Percy’s has every right not to invite me, we’re not really friends,” Will’s tone was more than agitated. Nico didn’t get it, Will and Percy had gotten along fine over the summer so he didn’t see what was different all of a sudden. “We really only have the one thing in common, you. There is really no need to make more of it.” He explained sounding purposefully dismissive.

Was calling Percy and playing nice for a little while really so much to ask? “Will,” Nico sighed with frustration. “You and Jason are friends.” He pointed out. He felt pretty proud of himself for that one because it was a very good point.

“Me and Jason have things in common.” Will defended.

On some level, Nico knew that was true but he really wanted to not talk about Percy. He just really didn’t want to have a stupid fight over something that wasn’t actually a problem and he wanted Will to just call Percy a play nice so he didn’t have to go to Percy’s dumb bachelor party on his own. “Taste in porn?” he questioned

“Actually, not really,” Will replied like that was a point of pride which made Nico seriously question Jason’s taste in Porn (no, he really didn’t want to know). Will let out a heavy sigh “Nic, I spoke my peace over the summer, if Percy still feels uncomfortable there’s really nothing I can do about it.”

That was news to Nico. He blinked with confusion, how could Will and Percy both fail to tell him about that conversation? “You did?”

“Yeah, when he tried to give me the don’t mess with Nico speech.” Will explained.

Wow, that had been pretty early in the summer, Nico was really surprised neither of them mentioned it. Maybe they had both been embarrassed. It really didn’t matter, actually if anything it meant that there was no reason Will couldn’t just call and talk to Percy so he could come to the party too. “Please,” Nico begged (yes, he was begging and he didn’t really care). “I really don’t want to go alone.”

“Then don’t go,” Will suggested.

Nico scoffed, “Yeah, like Percy would _let_ me not go.”

There was a long pause on Will’s end of the call before Will replied, “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

There was something about Will’s voice that Nico didn’t like. He didn’t sound like the Will Nico knew. Nico sighed “Will, is something wrong?” If there was something serious bothering Will Nico wanted Will to tell him so that he could be there, to fix it if he could.

“Nay,” Will replied although he didn’t sound all that convincing. “Just a rough practice and you know….. yesterday.”

“Ummm” Nico hummed contently at the memories of the previous day came back to him. He was sad to have been leaving Will but they had certainly made the most of the time they had. “Yesterday was nice,” He admitted with a smile he knew Will couldn’t see but hoped he could hear because he truly meant it.

“It was, all three times,” Will agreed with a bit of laugh. “I’m just tired and disappointed I won’t have you to cuddle with.”

“Yeah, I miss that too,” Nico agreed. It really had been nice to wake up each morning with Will next to him. “Although when we live together we need a bigger bed.”

“I think we can arrange that,” Will stated before adding “Can I call you later? Our usual time?”

“I’d love an Iris message but I guess I’ll settle for a call,” Nico offered with a shrug.

“Gods, I love you!” Will replied

“I love you too.” Nico returned before ending the call.


	25. Stupid Fight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!
> 
> I know it has taken me forever but here it is. Sorry this chapter is a bit Angsty but the next two are not.
> 
> I'm hoping I can start posting semi regularly but I can't make any promises yet.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Nico wanted to burn his eyes out, or maybe the part of his brain that formed memories. No, that wasn’t right because if he did that he wouldn’t be able to see and remember beautiful things like sunsets and Will. What he needed to do was murder Frank for groping his little sister.

It had been so awful. Nico had arrived at Camp Jupiter much earlier than he really had expected which was fine. The way he figured it, it was a perfect opportunity to spend some quality time with his sister before he got pulled into Percy’s three-ring circus of a bachelor party.

The fact that he couldn’t find Hazel should have been his first warning but it was Hazel. He looked around a bit before he had actually given up and decided to just walk around a little instead. It was so early the streets of New Rome were pretty empty which was nice. He hadn’t had a specific destination in mind although as he walked around his mind started to wander what it would be like if he and Will moved to New Rome together.

His mind had been on other things (Would this be a good area for him and Will to get an apartment? Should he look for a two bedroom so Will could have space to do school stuff? Should Nico start thinking about what he wanted to study?) when he stumbled upon Hazel and Frank. It was an especially shady spot in a small park, Nico turned a corner and there was his little sister in Frank’s lap with Frank’s hand up her shirt.

There had been a lot of fumbling when Frank and Hazel realized he was there. Nico glared, Frank hid behind Hazel, and Hazel babbled through an awkward explanation for what was happening. The whole situation had been so uncomfortable Nico took the first opportunity to get away and practically ran back to his hotel.

He really didn’t know how to process what he had seen so he did the only thing he could think of, he called Will. The phone rang a few times before Will answered sounding chipper, “Hey you, I’m glad you called.”

Nico heard voices in the background. They sounded feminine, so he figured it was Ruby or Nora or both. Will had been pretty busy with soccer practice lately so he hadn’t had a lot of time for friends. Nico knew he didn’t have practice for the next couple of days so he was probably enjoying some time with friends before the holidays.

Nico felt a rush of calm wash over him just from the sound of Will’s voice. Still, what he had just witnessed felt like he had swallowed a shotgun blast. “I just caught Frank with my sister,” He informed quickly.

“What?” Will questioned sounding genuinely shocked. “Wow, that’s unfortunate, I liked Frank.”

Nico paced the room still to wound up to sit. “What do you mean liked?” He questioned wondering about Will’s use of past tense.

“I guess I kind of assumed if you caught Frank in bed with Hazel, your sister, he’s no longer with the living.” Will replied casually.

“I am capable of reacting with something besides violence,” Nico huffed indignantly.

“Hazel won’t let you touch him, would she?” Will questioned and Nico could hear the knowing smile on his face.

Nico sighed heavily, Will wasn’t wrong. “She said I was overreacting! Can you believe that?”

“Nic,” Will chuckled “Don’t be mad but I’m sure you were.”

“What!?!?” Nico stopped in his attempt to wear marks into the floor. What exactly was Will trying to say? How was he supposed to act when he caught some guy groping his little sister?

Will let out a laugh that was like a song. It wasn’t fair that Will could do that but his laughter always sounded like the gentle sway of wind chimes and it always reminded Nico of summer and sunlight. It was extremely distracting from Nico’s righteous anger at the moment, Will needed to stop. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed” Will stated sounding amused but still like he was picking his words carefully. “But your little sister is a badass, she can take care of herself.”

Nico wasn’t doubting Hazel’s ability to take care of herself. Hazel had given up her life to stop a rising giant when she was thirteen years old, she had given up Elysium to save her mother from the Fields of Punishment, and she had survived the quest of seven with all that entailed. Just because Hazel could take care of herself didn’t mean she was old enough to make informed decisions on some things. Okay, yes Hazel was about the same age Nico was when he and Will had started having sex and yes he knew that Hazel and Frank had been dating far longer than Nico and Will had when they first were _physical_ but….. Well, none of that was the point.

“His hands were all over her!” He informed which even in the heat of the moment Nico would admit was a bit of an exaggeration, Frank's hands were just somewhere Nico didn’t like.

“Yeah, and Hazel didn’t murder me when she caught us with my hands all over you. For which I am extremely grateful,” Will replied sincerely. Nico had sort of forgotten about that but Hazel had, in fact, found out that Nico and Will were dating by walking in on them all but ripping each other’s clothes off. “Because your sister, like Reyna, scares me a little,” He confessed.

“They were practically naked!” Nico exclaimed and at this point, he was pretty much just making things up in an attempt to get Will on his side.

“Alright that’s not great,” Will admitted finally coming around. Nico stopped pacing and felt some of the tension drain from his shoulders. “But Hazel didn’t know me from anybody and you know Frank, he’s a great guy,” Will reasoned. Nico didn’t like it but what Will was saying really did sound reasonable. His shoulders slumped slightly and he listened to Will continue. “Just try not to think about it.”

“But I still have Percy’s bachelor party,” Nico tried to argue although he was pretty sure at that point he was just whining. And, in truth, he wasn’t even sure if was actually whining about Hazel and Frank at this point or if he was jumping at the opportunity to complain about Percy’s bachelor party. He still didn’t understand why Percy didn’t just invite Will, or why Will wouldn’t just call and talk to Percy. The whole thing was bothersome already and now he had this whole Frank and Hazel thing to deal with. “Frank is going to be there and I have to play nice.”

“Then just don’t go,” Will suggested casually. Or at least that was how Nico was choosing to take it. There was a strange quality to Will’s voice when he said it, it was subtle but it was there and he had been noticing it more and more lately. He had thought about just asking Will what was wrong but that wasn’t something he normally had to do with Will. When things were wrong Will normally was really open with Nico, it was Nico that usually required prodding to talk about things. Nico honestly didn’t even know how to start that conversation.

“Like that’s an option,” Nico replied mournfully. He had actually considered not going, hiding out in his hotel room instead but he could just imagine Percy’s reaction to that. Nico had no desire to be dragged from his room kicking and screaming. “You know how Percy is.”

There was a disgruntled noise from the other end of the line before Will grumbled, “Maybe Jackson should learn the meaning of the word no.”

The words were spoken quietly, not so quiet that Nico couldn’t make them out or couldn’t tell that they were spoken in a tone that far more serious than simple annoyance but quiet enough that Nico could have pretended not to hear them if he so wanted. “What?” He questioned. Nico was supposed to be the brooding one, not Will, he would rather just have the conversation than hearing Will sound like that.

“Nothing,” Will relied unconvincingly with a sigh.  “Did you say hi to Hazel for me?” He questioned with obviously fake pep.

Nico knew what Will was trying to do, trying to divert the topic away from his last comment. Part of Nico was tempted to take the out but a larger part of himself just couldn’t do it anymore. He just wanted Will to tell him what was wrong so he could assure that it was okay. He let out a heavy sigh as he prepared himself for whatever was to come. “Seriously, Will there’s been something for weeks, just tell me,” As soon as the words were spoken Nico realized they sounded both defensive and overly demanding as result of his own anxiety. He let out another sigh and tried to make himself sound how he felt, “Please, I don’t like hearing your voice like this.”

There was a long pause on the other end of the line that Nico was pretty sure could have killed him. “It’s nothing,” Will replied flatly. At this point, Nico was pretty sure Will wasn’t even trying to sound convincing.

“Will,” Nico declared insistently (or maybe he was just whining). “Please, just tell me.”

There was another long pause on the other end of the line. Nico had never realized silence could actually be painful but it could be, it was. Why wouldn’t Will just tell him what was wrong? What could be so wrong Will couldn’t tell him? Nico was pretty sure he was going to be physically ill if Will didn’t tell him something soon.

When Will spoke it was barely a whisper and yet the words themselves still sounded raw and full of emotion. “Don’t go,” he stated, “I don’t want you to go.”

Well, those were words, not that they actually told Nico anything. He was starting to feel like a caged animal and started pacing like one. He was going to wear tracks in the jewel-toned carpet if he kept it up. “Go where?” He questioned sincerely.

This time when Will sighed it sounded more like a growl. “You _know_ where,” he stated and it almost sounded like an accusation.

Nico thought about it, and thought about it, and thought about it. The first thing that came to mind was shadow travel, Will had been pretty clear about his feelings on that. Nico all but opened his mouth to protest, he had no plans to shadow travel, but it really didn’t make sense. There was only one other place (or thing) Will had suggested (mostly in a joking). “Percy bachelor party?” Nico questioned. That made less sense than shadow travel but it was the only other thing Nico could think of. He was probably completely wrong. “Why?” He asked. Nico was more than aware why he didn’t want to go to Percy’s stupid bachelor party but didn’t really get why it would bother Will.

Will huffed loudly on the other end of the line. “You KNOW why,” he stated insistently. Will barely sounded like himself his voice was so sharp with anger or frustration. “Do I really need to spell it out!?!?”

“Maybe you should,” Nico growled back meeting the heat of Will’s words with his own. Nico knew getting angry wasn’t going to help things but he had no idea what had Will so angry and he resented the implication that he did. If something was wrong Nico wouldn’t just ignore it and let Will be upset, he loved Will too much to act so selfishly.

“I can’t believe I actually have to say this,” Will declared with an ugly almost mocking little laugh. “I don’t want my boyfriend hanging out with a guy he crushed on for years who is literally just looking to hook up with a willing body.”

“What?” Nico retorted. His blood actually felt like it might boil and even he could notice the way his hotel room’s light flickered with his rage. “You’re seriously worried I’ll do something with Percy?” It sounded wrong to even say something like that. He had to resist the urge to shudder with disgust at the mere thought.

“Yes, that’s exactly what I worried about!” Will shouted. Will never yelled, not even when the infirmary was packed with injured demigods and he was directed all his siblings, but he was yelling now. “Why does that surprise you?”

Nico didn’t want to feel hurt, he wanted to be angry. He would have every right to be angry, what Will was suggesting was beyond ridiculous. “Don’t you trust me?” he asked hating how hurt he sounded.

“Trust you? With Percy?” Will questioned thoughtfully. The fact that he wasn’t yelling should have been an improvement but it wasn’t. The fact that Will actually needed to think about if he trusted him made Nico’s chest ache like someone was trying to rip his heart out. “I…I don’t know,” Will stated. “Not completely….With the history between you two…I just don’t know if I can, completely.”

“I love you,” Nico reminded although he didn’t realize it was in question. “I would never….”

“Nic it’s not…” Will cut him off like he just wanted to get the words out but as soon as he started talking he sounded lost. On the other end of the line, Nico heard Will let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t…I don’t doubt that you love me,” He assured and Nico felt himself relax a bit. Things couldn’t be as bad as they sounded if Will knew he loved him than he had to trust him. “But there’s history there, between you two and I’d be a fool to trust it,” Will explained the words hitting with more force than Nico had ever experienced on the battlefield. “To trust anything.”

All the pain and hurt Nico was feeling seemed to solidify and hardened into anger. That was what Nico had thought he wanted but it didn’t feel better like he thought it would. It felt hollow and hungry like it was going to eat him alive from the inside out. “You think that little of me?” He asked and even his words sounded hollow.

“No, it’s not like that,” Will huffed defensively. Honestly, Nico wondered if Will even realized what he was saying at this point. “I’m just not an idiot.”

“Glad to know you think I’m a whore,” Nico growled before pulling the phone away from his ear and pressed the end call button with so much force he was surprised he didn’t break it.

The fact that it didn’t break actually made him feel worse. He wanted the stupid bit of plastic and wire to break so he wouldn’t have to feel guilty about hanging up on top of all the other emotions he was feeling. In a fit of what Nico realized was childish rage, he threw the phone at the wall but there wasn’t enough force behind it and it hit the mattress harmlessly.

It was too much, Nico growled with frustration before began to stomp around the room. He knew it was stupid and immature and pointless but he was just so mad and sad and about a dozen other emotions he didn’t want to label. It was either stomp around like a child or break down and cry. He was Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, he was not going to cry over a boy (anymore).

His mind went a million miles a minute and none of the thoughts were particularly helpful. How could Will think he would cheat on him! And even worse with _Percy_. That was just disgusting! Percy was practically his brother. It was Percy and Will was Will, there was no competition there- Will won hands down (why didn’t Will get that?).

Nico wanted to scream, cry, and throw something until it broke. He settled for throwing himself down on his bed with the intent of being miserable. The bed was too big for just one person which really did help with the mission of being miserable. Even better, Nico half-expected his phone to ring and it to be Will calling to apologize, every second it didn’t…..Well, Nico wasn’t worried about feeling happy anytime soon.

He stared up at the jewel-encrusted ceiling and let every negative emotion he was currently feeling wash over him. He had no idea how long he had laid there like that before there was a knock on door. He gave serious thought to ignoring it but the succession of rapid tapping on the door really could only come from one person: Hazel.

Groaning with reluctance, Nico pushed himself up and off the bed before dragging his feet to the door. He pulled the door up just enough to see his sister standing just on the other side of the threshold. “Hazel now is not-”

Hazel pushed her way into the room with surprising ease (she might be small but she was also strong). “Hi,” she greeted brightly before kicking the door shut behind her. “Frank is afraid you’re going to murder him.”

Nico took a few steps back to allow Hazel some space. He blinked at his sister with confusion. “Why?”

“Because of what you caught us doing earlier,” She explained. What had they been doing earlier? Nico honestly couldn’t remember, his brain was just stuck on other things. Hazel must have somehow read the confusion on Nico’s face because she clarified in a slightly less chipper tone, “Umm…. the kissing”

How could Nico have forgotten that? “Oh, when you were sitting in his lap?” Nico confirmed as he tried to push his thoughts of Will aside for the moment. “Yeah, he should be worried,” He declared. He certainly wasn’t going to let some guy get away with gropping his little sister even if it was Frank (who was actually a pretty nice guy).

Nico expected Hazel to launch into a speech about how she could take care of herself (which he knew she could) but instead she tilted her head to one side and seemed to examine him. The silence and her critical stare lasted so long Nico wanted to squirm. “What’s wrong?” She finally asked.

Nico bit his lips and looked down at his hands because that seemed like a safer course of action than actually meeting his sister’s golden eyes. “What do you mean?”

“You seem upset,” She explained in a soft voice. “And I don’t I don’t think it’s because of me and Frank.”

Gods, was it that obvious? Nico didn’t want to talk about it, talk about Will. He pushed his shoulders back in an attempt to fake outrage or really any emotion that wasn’t sadness and betrayal. “Of course it’s that,” He lied. “You’re too young to be having sex.”

“We weren’t having sex, and we haven’t, not that it is any of your business,” Hazel retorted firmly. She paused for a moment and the corners of her lips tugged upward in a have smirk. “And you’re not that much older than me and you’re having sex.”

“Hazel!” Nico protested. He felt his eyes go wide with shock and his stomach churned with discomfort. Even if he and Will didn’t just have a huge fight he still wouldn’t want, or be comfortable with, talking to Hazel about his sex life. “That’s different,” He stated and he wasn’t even sure what he meant by that, he just hoped that Hazel would let the topic go with that.

“How?” Hazel questioned sincerely. Once again she tilted her head to one side and examined Nico like he was an especially curious puzzle she planned to solve.

Nico couldn’t help but squirm under his sister’s scrutiny. “Could we not talk about this?”

Hazel’s expression remained that of determination for several long seconds and Nico thought for sure he was going to press the topic of his sex life. Just before she spoke her expression softened. “Of course,” she replied her tone once again chipper. “We can talk about what has you so upset.”

Hazel wasn’t going to let it go, Nico could see that now. Turning on his heels, he walked back to the bed and flopped onto the already musted jewel tone bedding. He hoped the lush fabric would muffle his words as he replied. “Will and I had a fight.” _Gods, that didn’t sound right_ , Nico thought. It made what happened sound so simple and so much less painful.

The sounds of Hazel’s riding boots clicked against the marble floor signaling her approach and the bed sagged slightly as she sat down at the edge. “About what?” She asked curiously.

“Will was acting ridiculous!” Nico replied with a groan. He pushed himself over so he was laying on his back, once again staring up at the ceiling. Nico completely understood that Pluto was associated with the riches of the earth for the Romans but jamming various gems and precious metals into the ceiling of the ambassador’s suit still seemed like a bit much. Still, the shiny bits speckling the ceiling was a safer thing to think about then Will and the fight they had just had. “It didn’t even make sense,” Nico told her.

“But what was the fight about?” Hazel asked again this time more firmly.

Nico huffed and pulled his arms over his chest in a show of defiance although he still answered her question (he just didn’t like it). “He doesn’t want me to go to Percy’s party,” He explained sullenly.

Nico felt Hazel shift slightly on the bed before questioning, “Why?”

Nico didn’t even want to say it out loud because if he did then it was real, it was a problem, and Nico would have to deal with it. He didn’t even know where to begin to deal with whatever was going on. How could he convince his beautiful perfect boyfriend he had no desire to go to bed with Percy beyond actually not wanting to go to bed with Percy? Why wasn’t that enough? Nico sighed and scrubbed at the face with his palms. “It’s so stupid,” He groaned

“You mentioned that,” Hazel pointed out, her tone was carefully sympathetic. “What you haven’t told me is what exactly is so stupid?”

Nico groaned and pushed himself up so that was sitting next to Hazel and their shoulders were touching. For a few seconds he let himself get distracted, both he and Hazel were on the small size for their age and gender. He wondered if that was a child of Hades (or Pluto) thing, maybe they were just late bloomers (or they would be petite forever).

Hazel leaned into him slightly before giving him a little nudge in the ribs with her elbow. Nico guessed that was Hazel’s sweet way of telling him out with it already. Letting out a heavy sigh, Nico looked down at his hands. “He’s afraid something is going to happen between me and Percy.” Yuck, it sounded even worse out loud than it did in his head. When he managed to work up the nerve to look up at his sister he found her staring back at him confused. It was really reassuring that Hazel was so innocent that she didn’t immediately get his meaning. Of course, it was also massively inconvenient for him at the moment because it meant he actually had to spell it out. “Like something….physical?”

The chocolatey skin of Hazel’s cheeks pinked as she understood Nico’s meaning. “Oh,” she exclaimed with understanding as she looked away.

“It’s completely crazy, isn’t it?” Nico asked with confidence. He wanted Hazel to confirm what he already knew. It was completely insane that Will would think he would ever have sex with Percy. Nico was more likely to have a foursome with Jason, Mitchell, and Cecil then he was to have sex with Percy (and that wasn’t going to happen either because again, gross).

Hazel didn’t immediately react with the shock and outrage Nico had expected. She seemed to actually consider the idea for a moment. She was quiet for so long Nico was ready to scream and then she finally spoke and it was so much worse than the silence. “No,” She stated thoughtfully. “I understand it.”

Completely shocked, Nico pushed away from his sister and turned on the bed so he was directly facing her. She was framed by her wild golden curls and staring back at him with her golden eyes. “What?” He questioned in outrage. Were Hazel and Will both insane? Why did everyone suddenly think that Nico was going to bone Percy if the opportunity arose? _GROSS!_

Hazel let out a small sigh as she pushed herself further onto the bed and turned so she was more directly facing Nico. “You weren’t on the Argo II at the time but there was…. tension between Frank and Leo,” She explained. Nico had heard enough of the story and noticed enough of the residual tension when he had joined the quest (and was well enough to think about anything past simple survival) to have an idea of what she was talking about. “Even when everything about Sammy was revealed and things between Leo and me settled, there was still tension.”

Nico didn’t see how that had anything to do with his current relationship dilemma. “That’s a very different situation,” He pointed out. Hazel was his sister, she was supposed to be on his side, or at the very least was supposed to be comforting in his time of need. He honestly didn’t understand how this little reminder of the Argo II (not one of Nico’s favorite places) was supposed to be either.

Hazel’s eyebrows knotted together, she tilted her head to one side, and her golden eyes took on an inquisitive glow. “Oh?”

“Yes,” Nico replied quickly and far more defensively than he intended. But, in all fairness, what did Hazel even mean by that? Of course, that was a very different situation. For whatever reason Hazel had actually felt an attraction toward Leo at the time. Nico absolutely was not attracted to Percy (anymore, but that past shouldn’t matter and definitely didn’t need to be brought up).

If anything Hazel’s brow knotted more tightly together. Her expression was no longer inquisitive but rather something more indicative of frustration. “There was history between Leo and me,” She stressed, “and there is history between you and Percy.” She shrugged before speaking the next part in a softer, gentler voice, “In a lot of ways there is a lot more history between you two.”

“History being the operative word,” Nico pointed out firmly. How could Hazel be taking Will’s ridiculous, nonsensical side? He wanted to be so angry with her (and Will but that wasn’t particularly new with this topic) but he just couldn’t sustain it. Hearing Hazel say that Will may have at least some reason to be nervous made Nico feel completely deflated, which seemed so unfair, he wanted to be righteously angry. Sighing, Nico looked down at his hands and started picking at his cuticles (Mitchell was probably in New York cursing him for that). “I don’t want Percy, I want Will,” He declared insistently. Why did he even have to say it? Will was the love of his life, his soulmate, anyone else just paled in comparison. “I have never done anything to make him doubt that.”

Nico didn’t look up to meet his sister’s eyes, not even when she reached out and placed her hand over his. “I’m sure Will knows that but he can still have insecurities,” she offered in such a kind voice the statement was almost reassuring (if Nico ignored what she had actually said). “It has to be hard for him sometimes that you and Percy are such close friends.”

Was Nico supposed to cut Percy out of his life? Yes, there was that whole crush thing (which was really not Nico’s proudest moment, or years, and he wished people would stop bringing it up) but Nico didn’t think of that as a whole lot of their relationship. Percy was the first to tell him he was a demigod (while saving him from a monster). Percy had always been kind to him even after he found out that Nico was a child of Hades and after Nico sort of tried to kill him. He had done the best he could to try to protect Bianca and keep his promise to him, even if Nico hadn’t been able to see it when he was younger. Sure, Percy could be impulsive and obnoxious and had absolutely no sense of privacy a lot of the time but Nico still couldn’t cut him out of his life. Gods, Hazel was right there really was history between them.

Nico took a breath to steely his own resolve before looking up to meet his sister’s gaze. “What are you saying?” He asked anxiously.

“I’m saying-” she squeezed his hands to emphasize the word “-that you might want to talk to Will once you’ve both had a chance to cool down.”

“I’m not apologizing,” Nico stated firmly, finding some of his earlier defiance. Carefully he pulled his hands out of his sister’s grasp as he squared his shoulders to show his determination on the topic. “He practically accused me of cheating.” Hazel may have been right about Nico and Percy having history but Nico had never given Will any reason to think he would to anything like that.

“I’m not suggesting you apologize,” Hazel declared reaching out and clasping one of Nico’s hands in her own. As much as Nico might not want to admit it Hazel’s touch was comforting, she was the only person outside of Will that’s touch had that effect on him. “But you could offer Will some reassurance and an opportunity to apologize to you,” She suggested, “I’m sure he would do the same if the situation was reversed.”

Hazel wasn’t wrong. Will was probably the most patient, understanding boyfriend Nico could have ever asked. He groaned rather loudly as he fell back on the bed once again staring up at the ceiling. “Dating is so complicated,” He complained.

Hazel laughed softly as she resituated herself on the bed and laid next to him on the bed. “Very,” She agreed with amusement.

Hazel only stayed for a few more minutes turning the conversation to Frank’s safety. Nico wasn’t particularly happy about it but he promised to in no way injury Frank due to catching Frank and Hazel kissing. It seemed like more than just kissing to Nico and if his mind wasn’t a million miles away he probably would have fought with her on it but he just couldn’t focus.

After she left Nico climbed back on the bed and retrieved his phone from where it had fallen early. It took him a few minutes of staring nervously at Will’s contact information before he gathered the courage to actually press send. He knew that he had had every right to be angry at Will’s assumption but he should have at least tried to talk about the situation before hanging up.

The phone rang about a half a dozen times which might as well have been a thousand the way it felt before the call clicked over mid-ring. Nico couldn’t wait for Will to greet him or even speak all the words were just came shooting out of him. “Before you say anything I know I hung up and I know I said….” Nico sighed “I promised I wouldn’t do that anymore but….” He wasn’t even sure what he wanted to say. Everything felt so muddled and confusing, Nico was sure if he should be yelling or crying or pleading.

He took a deep breath and tried to find the right way to start the conversation before what almost Will’s voice came from the other end of the call. “Yeah, this is Dean, not Will, sorry.” He offered sounding a bit awkward and maybe something else but Nico couldn’t quite put his finger on. Nico wasn’t really good at identifying emotions in other people, especially people he didn’t know well. He probably only noticed that there was something else going on with Dean because he sounded so much like Will.

The last thing Nico had expected when he called Will was to get Will’s cousin. No offense to Dean but he didn’t feel like trying to be appropriately friendly, he needed to talk to Will. “What?” He questioned, his annoyance more evident in his voice than was necessary. Gods, he needed to apologize for that at some point. Dean was like Will’s brother, much more so than anything of the guys in the Apollo cabin, so it was important for Nico to get along with him. He did get along with Dean a lot but he just didn’t have the patience at the moment. “Where’s Will?”

“He’s-” Dean paused which was worrisome because Nico couldn’t think of a real reason why Dean would have Will’s phone but not know where Will was. He was quiet for so long Nico was going to scream before stated, “Indisposed.” The way Dean said that was strange like he was picking his words carefully.

Nico didn’t have the time or the patience to try to work out his meaning, so he just asked and didn’t worry that he sounded frustrated, “What does that mean?”

“Honestly?” Dean let out a heavy sigh, “he’s throwing up.”

Nico sat up a little straighter on the bed and he felt his stomach drop from a whole different type of anxiety. “What!?!?” Nico questioned feeling truly panicked practically screamed, his voice was filled with pure panic. “Is he okay?”

“Yeah, it’s an anxiety thing,” Dean replied casually. “He used to do it a lot.”

Nico felt like the world was spinning, what Dean had just said made no sense. Will was the most level-headed and collected person Nico knew which was kind of impressive considering how most of the people Nico knew regularly fought monsters. Will could handle running into battles to save other demigods’ lives like it was just something people did. How could Dean talk about Will being anxious like it was a normal thing? “What’s he anxious about?” Nico asked completely confused.

“The same thing that always has him in knots lately” Dean offered quickly. Nico didn’t have a hard time picking up on the undertones of annoyance in Dean’s voice. He wanted to question the reason for it but Dean answered before he could get the words out. “You”

That pretty much felt like a slap in the face. Did Nico make Will anxious? Wasn’t that the opposite of what a boyfriend was supposed to do? Although if Nico was being really honest with himself Will could tie him knots like no one else could. Gods, dating really was complicated.

“Can I talk to him?” He asked hopefully.

“Yeah,” Dean replied simply “Hearing you’re on the phone might calm him down. You seem to mellow him out.”

Nico blinked hard, he couldn’t have actually heard Dean right, “I mellow Will out?” He questioned with clear disbelief.

Dean didn’t say anything in response to his confusion which Nico wasn’t sure exactly what that was supposed to mean. There was the sounds of general movement and Nico figured that Dean was bringing the phone to where ever Will was. Nico listened as he tried to get his thoughts together so he didn’t start rambling at the sound of Will’s voice. There was a sound of a heavy sigh. Instead of Will’s voice, he got Dean’s, “Before I give you over to Will can I say something?” He asked sounding somewhat wary.

Nico really didn’t know how he was supposed to answer that. Was saying no even an opinion? Nico doubted it, but he really wanted to talk to Will and didn’t want to deal with delays. “Yeah,” He agreed reluctantly “I guess.”

“I don’t know how much Will told you about us growing up,” Dean started with what sounded like a partially prepared speech. To be honest, Will hadn’t actually total Nico much about the situation. Of course, he had heard about a million stories that started with “One time me and Dean…..” so Nico had figured they had been pretty close growing up but beyond that, he knew very little although hearing Dean’s tone made Nico wonder if he should have asked more questions about that. “About my dad or any of that but Will is more like my brother than my cousin.” Yeah, Nico should have asked Will more questions about his childhood because he was clearly missing important information. “And I hate to sound like a cliché but if you hurt him I’ll beat your ass.” He stated plainly. Nico couldn’t help but grin a little. He wasn’t mocking Dean or anything, but the thought that he could ever beat Nico in a fight was just funny. “I know I don’t have your kung fu skills but I know a few guys that I could probably convince to help.”

As funny as it was to think of a mortal attempting to beat him in a fight the meaning behind the threat was actually heartwarming. It was a surprise but it was still nice to see the level of loyalty Will could inspire in people. “If I ever hurt Will, I’ll let you.” Nico replied seriously “Backup won’t be necessary.” He promised and he meant it. He loved Will and never wanted to hurt him and if he ever did he deserved such a consequence.

Glad we have that all cleared up,” Dean replied with an unexpectedly cheerful tone before adding, “Also having seen you in action I’m still getting Wash and Watts to help if it comes to it.”

“You really didn’t see much of what I can do,” Nico offered with a bit of a laugh. The only thing Dean had seen Nico do was to drive the homophobic jock into a wall at the café around Thanksgiving which had been a pretty basic move that most first-year camper could easily do. But Nico guessed that for someone that didn’t live with the constant risk of being attacked by monsters it could have looked impressive. “You can probably get Felix too depending on what you’re willing to do.” Nico offered hoping that the joke would lighten the mood of the conversation so that they could end on a good note and Nico could actually talk to Will.

Dean chuckled, “Yeah, but who really wants to blow Felix?” he questioned with amusement.

Nico blinked uncertainly, “So Will told you?” He questioned doubtfully. When Nico had told Will that Felix obviously had a crush on Dean Will didn’t seem very convinced (which how he didn’t see it, Nico really couldn’t understand). And, although Will seemed to be slowly coming around to Nico’s point of view Nico would be generally shocked if Will actually told Dean about the possibility. But if Will did tell him at least Dean seemed to be handling the information well.

“Told me what?” Dean questioned sounding confused.

Oh, Nico realized he had made an error. He should definitely not tell Dean if Will hadn’t but how did he get out of the conversation without telling him. Nico winced as he replied reluctantly, “That Felix has a thing for you.”

“Felix has a what for who now?” Dean questioned his voice sounding about a half an octave higher than it normally was. So much for Dean handling the information well.

“Um…..” Nico hummed nervously on the other end of the line. He needed to say something, anything would probably be better than nothing. Could he try to say that it was just a joke? Would Dean believe that or at least pretend he did? Gods, Will was just going to love this, Nico thought mournfully.

The distance sound of a male voice carried through the line although Nico couldn’t make out the words he was sure it was Will. There was a definite back and forth between Dean and Will before he heard a shuffling and then Will’s voice coming clear as day, “Nic, I’m so sorry, I’m so so sorry. I swear I’m going to learn a second language so I can apologize in that language too,” He spoke quickly with almost a panicked tone

“Will-” Nico tried to cut in but he couldn’t be sure if Will actually heard him because Will just kept going.

“I don’t even know why I said those things,” Will offered sounding apologetic “I didn’t mean them Nic I…”

“Will” Nico cut in again with a little more force than he had before, “Do you know there are only three times you call me Nic?” He questioned rhetorically. He doubted Will realized how transparent he could be. “When you’re horny when we are actually having sex, and when we’re arguing,” He answered his own question before adding “Can we keep our sex life and arguing separate?”

“Yeah, of course,” Will replied, and Nico could hear the grin on Will’s face. “I’ll only call you Nic during bedroom activities for now on.” He promised.

Nico felt his cheeks pink slightly at that and then he released that Dean was probably standing right there next to Will hearing this conversation and he blushed harder, “Please, tell me you didn’t just say that in front of your cousin.”

“No, he left,” Will replied quickly and not entirely convincingly. Before Nico could point out that he didn’t actually believe him Will asked a nervous question, “So are we okay?”

Nico sighed before replied with a question of his own, “Do you trust me?”

“Yeah, I do” Will replied with a bit of a sigh “I love you more than anything.”

“Then yes,” Nico replied, “We’re okay, and I love you too.”


	26. Best Christmas Present Ever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Wednesday!
> 
> I know this has taken me forever but I am hoping that I can start posting more regularly soon!
> 
> As always comments and kudos are appreciated.

Will found himself in a familiar place. He was standing at the top of a gently sloping hill at the base of a large pecan tree staring down at a grassy valley. Will knew the place well, it was where his mom and uncle would take him and Dean camping when they were kids. It looked so much like Camp Half-Blood Will remembered that had been his first thought when he had looked down at camp from Half-Blood hill. Considering the last thing that had happened there in real life had been horrible it had seemed like a cruel joke but he had often dreamed of the place and they were always happy.

Will knew it was a dream but still he could feel the warmth and the sun on his skin. He took in a deep breath and could smell the trees and the grass like it was a warm summer’s day. Will didn’t know what this dream had in store for him but he was ready to see.

“What is this place?” Questioned a familiar voice from somewhere behind him. Will may not have been as prone to horrible nightmares like other demigods but that didn’t mean it didn’t happen and normally unexpected people were a good sign it was going to be one of those dreams. The only thing that stopped Will from panicking was why the voice sounded so familiar. It was soft and musical while still being masculine, Will knew that voice.

Will turned to confirm his own suspicions and saw the most perfect sight. Nico di Angelo, son of Hades, underwear model, and most important at least in Will’s opinion, Will’s boyfriend was leaning against the thick trunk of the pecan tree. His posture was a perfect mix of casual and can’t-give-a-damn that made him a mysterious figure at Camp Half-Blood. Nico’s dark and brooding persona had definitely been an appealing factor for Will in the beginning although as they started dating what he found what Nico had to offer was much better than simple mystery.

Will wanted to be excited at the sight of his incredible boyfriend but he was just confused. Normally when Will had a dream with Nico it fell into one of two categories: Domestic dreams where Will and Nico had bought a house and were married and maybe they had a kid or two, or on the other end of this sweaty hot sex that would make porn stars blush. Will was very familiar with the way either of those types of dreams started and this wasn’t it. “Nico?” He questioned a bit of his own confusion showing in his voice.

“Yes,” Nico replied matter-of-factly as he uncrossed his arms and pushed off the tree.

Will waited for a few extremely long seconds to see what Nico would do. Nico just seemed to watch him waiting for something from Will. Until Will knew what kind of dream it was he really didn’t know how to act, the only plus to the situation was it was a dream so it wasn’t like he had to worry about embarrassing himself. “What kind of dream is this?” he asked plainly.

Nico tilted his head to one side and corked one eyebrow. A sly smirk spread across his face as his features twisted into a teasing expression that Will knew all too well. “It’s your dream, why don’t you tell me?”

“Sassy,” Will commented as he tried to work out the clues since Dream Nico didn’t seem to be willing to help. Nico was wearing his leather jacket that he had bought when he had gone shopping with Piper and Annabeth, a well-worn black t-shirt, and skinny jeans that were a little too tight. That wasn’t helpful information: in domestic dreams, Nico’s wardrobe was usually aged up a bit, he still seemed to favor dark colors but overall it seemed more mature, and in sex dreams, Nico rarely appeared fully clothed and when he did he didn’t stay that way long. “That usually means sex dream,” Will admitted before giving one more glance around to make sure nothing had changed, “But there isn’t a bed anywhere and you’re fully clothed.” He admitted beds or at least something especially comfortable to lay on tended to appear in the oddest places in his more intimate dreams of Nico.

Dream Nico’s reaction to Will’s confusion was both strange and very much like the Nico Will knew so well when he was awake. His playful smirk turned into a genuine smile, his dark eyes no longer met Will’s gaze as he suddenly looked down at the grass, and a soft but still distinctive blush colored his pale cheeks. “That’s …..good to know I guess,” Dream Nico stated bashfully.

The mix of embarrassment and being flattered was such a familiar Nico reaction to the mention of sex but in Will’s dreams, Nico tended to have the same level of bravado he normally only had when they were already in the throes of passion when he was awake. This was so unlike any dream Will had had before he didn’t know what he was supposed to do or how he was supposed to act. He waited for Dream Nico to say or do something else to give him a clue of how to act but got nothing. Finally, he just had to admit defeat. “I’m so confused.”

“I’m _actually_ me,” Dream Nico offered as if that clarified anything.

Will nodded with understanding because Dream Nico said stuff like that all the time, normally it was a bit more eloquently put and weirdly sexy but the meaning was the same. “I know.”

Nico just started back at him with dark, intense eyes for so long Will was pretty sure that this dream, whatever it was, was going to go down as the most confusingly frustrating dream he had ever had. Nico corked his head to one side, several strains of dark hair shifting visibly to one side as he did so before he spoke. “No,” Nico stated firmly “I’m really Nico not just a figment of your sleeping mind.”

It took Will an embarrassingly long time with those words rolling around in his head to actually understand what Nico meant. What finally made him realize was a memory he had never really given much thought but probably should have: Nico was one of the only demigods Will knew of outside of the children of Hypnos that had mastered dream travel. “Oh,” Will exclaimed with excitement. The Nico standing before him was the real live thing and not something his brain conjured to fill the space. The excitement was short-lived as a wave of overwhelming embarrassment washed over him as he realized everything he had just said to Nico about his dreams. “Oh gods!”

Everyone talked about those dreams where you show up late somewhere important, like class, and you don’t realize until you burst through the doors that you are completely naked- Will has had those dreams and they had never bothered him all that much- But this was horrifying. Will knew that Nico knew he had sex dreams about him and Will liked to think that Nico maybe dreamed about him in that way but it wasn’t like they ever talked about it. It was kind of like masturbation, they were currently in what qualified as a long-distance relationship and they were still horny teenagers, it was unspoken knowledge that they both had to take care of things on their own sometimes. But the key was it was unspoken, not that Will would have minded talking about it because of the thought of Nico all alone in the Hades cabin, maybe thinking about Will while he touched himself was really……

Alright, Will needed to put a pin in that train of thought before it really ran away from him and just made the whole situation more embarrassing.

Still, who had a sex dream that started in some picturesque field in the middle of the day? Will was positive if it was possible to die of embarrassment there was no way he would survive this moment.

Nico was still blushing but he was meeting Will’s gaze, so some of the initial bashfulness had subsided at least. The son of Hades was trying hard but Will could tell that the small smile he was wearing wanted to become a wide grin. “Dream about me often?” Nico asked his voice sounded like a mixture of curiosity and amusement.

Well, he didn’t sound repulsed so Will guessed it could be worse. His face still felt like it was on fire from blushing so hard but it could be worse. “It’s not only sex,” He replied in his own defense. Yes, he was a teenager and therefore thought about sex plenty but he was capable of thinking about other things too, and he did.

“Oh?” Nico questioned quickly.

“Yeah,” Will squirmed uncomfortably. Yes, a lot of his dreams involving Nico, especially lately, had nothing to do with sex but he didn’t want to tell Nico about that. He was pretty sure that it might be more embarrassing to explain that most of his dreams involving Nico involved domestic things like who would make who breakfast in bed. Sighing with resignation with the whole situation, at least he was pretty sure Nico loved him and wouldn’t leave him for being a bit of a perv. “Any chance we could pretend like I didn’t just say embarrassing things?” he asked hopefully.

“Will, it’s okay,” Nico stated reassuring although he seemed more bashful as he added, “I dream about you too.”

“Oh?” Will questioned not hiding his excitement at the prospect. He may have felt awkward discussing his own dream content about his boyfriend but he was all for hearing about what Nico dreamed about him. “Even sex?”

The soft pink blush of Nico’s cheeks darkened to a bright shade of red and he took a sudden interest in his shoes. “Sometimes,” he admitted almost under his breath like he was trying too hard to make sure Will couldn’t actually hear his answer.

It may have been stupid or egotistical but the thought of Nico having sex dreams about him made him feel proud. “Am I good?” he asked with a wide grin before clarifying “In your dreams, I mean.”

Nico huffed, rolled his eyes, and crossed his arms over his chest. “Will, you’re always good!” He declared in his I’m-so-completely-done-with-you-right-now-so-I-can’t-be-embarrassed-by-what-I’m-saying voice.

Will couldn’t help but smile even more brightly at that. Damn straight, he was good! “You can give some details if you want,” he offered playfully “I wouldn’t mind hearing it.”

Nico let out a heavy sigh and shook his head disapprovingly. “And I’m already regretting this,” he stated without any real heat in his voice.

Will decided that was a good sign that it was time to put aside his ego and get back to the important stuff, mainly what was actually going on. “What is this?” Will questioned gesturing around vaguely around at the dreamscape around them. “How are you in my dream?”

“Dream travel really isn’t that hard,” Nico answered with an awkward shrug. Will interacted with all the different demigods at camp because everyone got injured, outside of the Hypnos cabin and the few other demigods related to gods like Morpheus he didn’t know of any other demigods that had mastered dream travel except Nico. And that wasn’t for a lack of trying because you can believe that Lou Ellen had tried, and got pissed when she couldn’t figure it out and got more pissed when she learned Nico could do it. Nico saying it wasn’t hard was definitely one of those things that was Nico was downplaying the effort. The cute thing about it was that Nico sincerely didn’t think it was that hard if he could figure it out he just figured everyone else could obviously do it. “Trying to control where you end up is a little tricky. I got pulled off course twice by Clovis and the Hypnos cabin but I managed.”

Will pushed aside the fact that dream travel was not, in fact, easy or a skill that most demigods mastered for a moment and focused on the more important point. “Why?”

“Because it’s Christmas,” Nico replied with far less confidence in his voice than when he was asserting that dream travel was easy. “Well, technically it’s Christmas Eve.”

That was technically accurate but didn’t really seem to answer Will’s answer. “So?” He questioned.

Nico huffed and stomped his foot a little like he did when he was frustrated. “I don’t know,” he declared. “It was always a big deal growing up,” he explained before adding in a somewhat distant voice, “Or at least from what I remember it was.”

 _Oh_ , understanding struck Will. Sometimes Will forgot that Nico grew up in practicing Catholic family, things like Christmas were probably a serious thing for him. Will may have grown up in the bible belt but his family wasn’t religious. Things like Christmas just weren’t that big of a deal. With one foot Will stepped forward while reaching out with one hand and grabbed Nico’s wrist. He pulled Nico in close so he could bring his other hand to rest on Nico’s hip. Grinning he declared happily, “You’re such a romantic.”

“Am not,” Nico protested weakly as he let Will pull him in a little smile playing at the corner of his lips. That was all Will needed to see to know that anything Nico said in protest was just an act and he was really loving every second of it. And as much as Nico tried to deny it he absolutely was a complete romantic. But just to prove his point, Will leaned in and placed a soft kiss on Nico’s cheek, and enjoyed the little blush that formed in his place.

He noticed Nico look around at the dreamscape surrounding them inquisitively. “So, what is this place?” He questioned with a nod toward the large tree behind him.

“Oh,” Will gave a quick look around at the scene from his childhood before focusing his attention once again on his perfect boyfriend “We used to come here a lot in the summers when I was a kid for picnics and stuff.” Will pointed toward a shady spot toward the bottom of the hill and explained, “It was right around here my mom first told me about who my dad really was”

It was subtle, but Will felt Nico tense slightly. Meeting Nico’s gaze Will found his boyfriend staring back at him with a look of confusion. “And that’s a happy memory for you?” Nico questioned. Based on his voice Nico clearly doubted such a thing could be true.

Will understood why Nico would feel that way, a lot of turmoil surrounded his discovery of being a demigod. And sure, Will’s life had definitely been complicated by his parentage but it hadn’t happened so suddenly. “It was before I knew about monsters or any of that,” Will explained with a small shrug “I was just an excited kid, happy to know there was a reason my dad not being around that wasn’t my fault.”

Nico was so quiet Will couldn’t help but look to him to try to see what he was thinking. The expression the son of Hades was wearing was serious and otherwise unreadable. Will almost sighed with relief when Nico gave a small nod of understanding. When Nico spoke, it was in a soft voice. “So much of before the Lotus Hotel is a blank” he admitted. Will carefully hide his surprise, Nico didn’t talk about his past and when he did there were certain things he just didn’t say. Will didn’t remember Nico ever actually calling the Lotus Hotel by name. “But I’m pretty sure Hades was around when I was young, not all the time but I feel like I almost remember him being there.”

Nico wouldn’t be the only demigod that had some early childhood memories of their godly parent being around, although it was rare. Will knew some demigods, like Lou Ellen, who even though her mom wasn’t physically there she would swear she could feel her mother’s presence from time to time. Will had never had any of that and while that was upsetting to him when he was young as he got older and became more familiar with the way the gods in general worked he was glad Apollo was absent.

Will couldn’t even imagine what it had been like for Nico because his situation was beyond unusual. It was unusual for a god to stay with a mortal lover long enough to have multiple children, it did happen the Stoll brothers were proof of that. But when that did actually happen the children tended to be very close in age, like the Stoll’s. Bianca had been several years older than Nico which meant that Hades had remained with Maria di Angelo for _years_ , and the fact that the god had been so quick to hide his children away when their mother past suggested that Nico was right, Hades had remained a part of their lives long after Nico’s birth. Maybe that was why Hades seemed so….protective of Nico, he was all that remained of a family the god had stayed with so long. Whatever the situation Will couldn’t began to fathom what that meant for Nico’s childhood. How fatherly could the god of the underworld be? Well, from Will’s experience the god definitely had the scaring his child’s boyfriend down pat.

Wash had once shared the story of meeting Nora’s parents and apparently Nora’s dad had really gone all out in trying to scare Wash, the man was cleaning his shotgun on the porch when Wash had arrived and everything. Will envied that story because his one interaction with Hades had been just so much worse- it was in a cemetery in Will’s dream, like Will really needed a reminder that there was no escaping the lord of the underworld’s wrath. Will didn’t even want to imagine what actually meeting the good would be like but that didn’t stop him from having a few nightmares of standing in front of a dark palace in the underworld and finding Hades waiting for him at the door methodically sharpening a scythe.

Nico’s dark eyes seemed to be focused on something a million miles away and it really wasn’t hard for Will to figure out what. He knew well how much Nico wanted to remember his childhood. Will was completely supportive of that when their time wasn’t likely to be limited. “Enough serious talk,” Will declared as he let his hand slip from Nico’s hip to rest on the small of his back, effectively pulling the son of Hades into a loose hug. The action seemed to break Nico from his trance, his soulful eyes once again focusing on Will. Will placed another soft kiss on Nico’s cheek before admitting “I wish we had a blanket of something so we could lay out comfortably in the grass.”

“Will,” Nico gave him a look that Will wasn’t really used to being on the receiving end of. It was the ‘Gods, you’re completely clueless’ look that Will had seen Nico direct at Percy thousands of times. “It’s a dream we can have whatever we want,” Nico explained with a little smile which made it clear he thought it was cute that he even had to say it.

Will was familiar with the fact that dreams could be manipulated and he was also aware of lucid dreaming but Will had never been able to do anything like that. He just didn’t know how the rules worked. “Really?” He questioned hopefully. If anyone would be able to figure out that sort of thing it would be Nico after all.

Nico’s reply was a quick nod before Will could question it further Nico was had detangled himself from Will’s arms in favor of taking Will’s hand. Will opened his mouth to say something as Nico started to lead him away from the pecan tree but then he saw a blanket laid out on the grass a few feet away.

Will let Nico lead him as he looked at the large blanket laid out in the grass. It was a quilt very similar to the one Will had on his bed at home, with patches of yellow, orange, and reds, and it definitely hadn’t been there a few seconds ago. “Did you make this?” Will questioned when they reached the blanket.

“It really isn’t that hard,” Nico stated as he took a seat on the blanket and patted the clear spot next to him welcomingly.

Will definitely didn’t need to be told twice, he happily joined Nico on the blanket which was absolutely perfect both in size and comfort. They snuggled close and situated so that they were facing down the hill at the valley below.

The level of detail seemed impossible for a dream, Will could smell the grass and the pecan tree but also the earthy scent of Nico’s shampoo. He could feel the cool grass and the hard ground as well as Nico’s cool skin against his own.

They sat together for a long stretch in a peaceful silence that Will could have gotten lost in it. Nico was the one to break the silence with a content hum. “This is a pretty place,” he commented.

“I think it is mostly a parking lot now,” Will commented off-handedly. He remembered getting back from the year he spent at Camp Half-Blood to find out the place from his childhood was taken over by stupid industry.

“That’s depressing,” Nico pointed out flatly.

“It is a bit,” Will agreed with a bit of a shrug. He had certainly been upset when he found out about it but that had been a few years ago, Will had adjusted to the reality and he certainly wasn’t going to let it get in the way of having Nico with him. “But this is still nice,” he offered in a content hum.

“It really is,” Nico agreed with a grin. He rearranged himself on the blanket brought his hand up to caress Will’s cheek lightly before leaning in and placing a lingering kiss on his lips. As he pulled away he let his hand slip from Will’s cheek to rest on Will’s chest. Will felt Nico’s fingers curl slightly around Will’s t-shirt. “I know it is just a dream,” Nico stated, Will noticed how Nico’s eyes seemed to wander over him with a dark look in his eyes. “But I do you think I can unwrap this gift you brought me?”

Why weren’t they still kissing, was all Will couldn’t really think so that was probably why he had no idea what Nico was talking about. “I didn’t bring a gift,” he pointed out nervously.

“You,” Nico explained as he made more of a show of looking Will up and down. Will finally recognized the dark look in Nico’s eyes for what it was, lust. “I meant you,” Nico reiterated, his hands wandering down Will’s chest as he pulled fabric upward in a sure sign that he wanted the article of clothing off. “Can I get you naked?”

“Oh,” Will exclaimed with understanding and excitement. Nico must have read Will’s expression because Will didn’t get a chance to say anything else before Nico climbed into his lap and started pulling Will’s shirt up in earnest. Will wasn’t going to complain, it was always hot to have Nico straddling him. As he lifted his arms to help Nico stripe him of his shirt he had to voice the question swirling around in his mind and getting in the way of him actually enjoying the moment. “Can we…um….ya know in a dream?”

Nico’s stopped in the middle of his efforts to unfasten Will’s pants and looked up from his work. “Haven’t we already talked about this?” he questioned with an inquisitive arch of his eyebrow “You’ve done this before.”

“What? Had a sex dream? Yeah, of course.” Will admitted suddenly that didn’t seem like an embarrassing confession, it was truly amazing what context could do to information. But this situation was different from a regular sex dream so it had to be different. “But not like this. Not with you really here.”

Nico grinned at Will wickedly and the expression had a shiver of desire running through Will with the intensity of a blazing forest fire. “The rules are still the same,” Nico assured before leaning in and kissing Will with such passion Will was pretty sure he died and went to Elysium. When Nico pulled away Will was breathless and had almost completely forgotten what he had asked. “How about I steer you around the corners?” Nico questioned his voice dripping with meaning.

_BEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT EVER!!!_

 


	27. Christmas Eve on Olympus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, it's been a while. I swear I haven't forgotten about this, I've just been crazy busy.
> 
> This chapter takes place the same night of the last one.
> 
> Also, next chapter covers the start of New Year's Eve for Dean and Felix and should be up soon!
> 
> Enjoy!

The meeting in a word was boring. That, of course, wasn’t anything new, the annual meetings of the Olympians were always boring in Apollo’s opinion, but this year was taking it to a whole new level.

The gods were meeting because they always met around the winter solstice but with monster activity still, incredibly low there really wasn’t much to talk about. The whole thing had quickly devolved into an argument about who’s demigod children were best. Such a silly thing to argue about, everyone knew Apollo’s children were the most impressive demigods to live. As to not bruise any of the other gods’ egos Apollo remained silent and let them bicker amongst themselves for whose children came in second.

It had _absolutely_ nothing to do with the warning glare or vicious pinches to the thigh that Artemis had given him when the topic had first arisen. And it _definitely_ had nothing to do with Zeus still being a bit perturbed about the little incident with one of Apollo’s legacies sort of helping Gaea.

Honestly, boring might not have been a severe enough word for just how mind-numbing the experience was, a new word might need to be invented to best describe it. As the god of poetry, if anyone should be inventing new words it should be Apollo.

Bored, what would be a good synonym for bored, Apollo mused. He couldn’t think of one and was quickly losing interest in the effort when Ares disrupted his thoughts.

“My son can charge into battle as an Elephant!” The war god bellowed. Ares was sporting his typical garb (lots of red leather), Apollo guessed it would be called biker cliché. Not exactly Apollo’s taste, but to each their own. The war god was slumped in his throne with one leg tossed casually over one of the arms. A large shotgun was visible leaning against one side of the throne as well. The whole look just screamed petty warlord of a third-world country but again to each their own. Ares crossed his arms over his chest, look of pride twisting his brutish features as he spoke with finality, “all other arguments are invalid.”

Well, Apollo could think of a lot of uses to shapeshifting into an animal but charging into a battlefield wasn’t on that list.

“He can only do that because he descends from me,” Poseidon pointed out matter-of-factly. As always the sea god was casually sitting on his throne rocking his typical old man and the sea aesthetic (because that wasn’t getting old). “And Percy has been at the center of two major prophecies, that is far more impressive.”

“One,” Hera corrected sternly. As usual, the queen of the gods was sitting perched on her throne with a pitched expression like she had a rather large stick shoved up her backside.

“Jason was obviously at the center of the prophecy of Seven,” Zeus added. It was one of the rare occasions that the king and queen of the gods seemed to be in genuine agreement on something. Apollo guessed that was bound to happen at least once or twice millennia.

“The only reason either of the boys survived is my daughter and her superior problem-solving skills,” Athena informed in that snotty tone she got when she thought she was right and superior which was pretty much all the time. It was a shame, Apollo could be into a badass warrior woman (he broke a more than few amazons hearts back in the day), but know-it-alls were never fun. Also, there were zero threats to Mount Olympus and Athena was the only one to show up at the meeting in armor. No one should take their job that seriously, Apollo certainly didn’t.

“Excuse me,” Aphrodite chimed in dramatically sounding offended. Apollo was actually surprised to hear the love goddess speak, normally she spent this meeting applying lip gloss and looking at herself in a hand mirror. Apollo didn’t fault her for that, she certainly was something to look at, Apollo had spent his fair share of times at these meetings admiring Aphrodite’s fine from after all. This might have been the first time in fifty years Apollo remembered the goddess actually participating. “But my Piper chamspoke a primordial goddess back to sleep,” She declared with clear affection, “Love Annabeth but she was really playing the supporting role as Piper’s cute-in-a-nerdy-way friend.”

“My son-” Hephaestus voice boomed from his mechanical throne. For a man who should really shy away from attention (seriously that face), his voice commanded attention. “-was the real reason that quest was a success.”

Ares snorted indignantly, “He died.”

“He cheated death,” the forger retorted. He too wore an expression of proud. Apollo guessed that was impressive if you weren’t used to your demigod children doing extraordinary things. Some many of Apollo’s children were brilliant and talented (they came from him after all) he was used to it. “There’s a difference.”

“Don’t think I have forgotten about that,” Hades grumbled under his breath, but the underworld’s god’s voice carried. Per usual, Hades was sulking in his throne radiating darkness and a general don’t look at me vibe. That was typical Hades, Captain Doom and Gloom was a regular participate but in these drab meetings, but he never seemed happy about it (or anything) and he nerve said more than what was needed (at least that he had going for him).

“Hades,” Zeus’s voiced boomed with such fake cheer that you just knew he was up to no good as he turned to beam at the god of the Underworld. Apollo couldn’t help but sit up a little in his chair with interest, the big three as the demigods like to call them (Apollo came up with that by the way but never got the proper credit, it was a shame really) were always good for some entertaining verbal sparring. “Little brother you’ve been so quiet I forgot you were there,” the God of Lightening teased.

Captain Doom and Gloom’s eyebrows knotted together with confusion and annoyance. “I’m older then you,” Hades pointed out, and not for the first time.

“Psh,” Zeus waved him off both figuratively and literally. With the really old gods, the children of Kronos, birth order didn’t seem to matter as much as the order in which they were freed from good old granddad’s stomach. So, while Hades was the first son born to Kronos, he was the last son out of Kronos’ stomach so as all as the other gods were concerned (especially Zeus and Poseidon) he was the youngest. It clearly bothered Hades which Apollo suspected was why his father brought it up constantly.

Zeus grinned widely as he continued to speak to the god of the underworld. “You don’t have anything to say about your demigod children?” Zeus obviously was trying to get at something specific. Apollo couldn’t help but perk up a little. Since Zeus had wrongly punished him to take care of the oracle silliest he had been so busy he was behind on all the fun Mount Olympus gossip. It was a shame really, and it was so rare that any of it had to do with Hades (he really was a rather boring old man).

Artemins pinched Apollo’s side viciously, and when Apollo turned to protest she gave him The LookTM (the one that suggested she would hunt him down like one of her animals if he didn’t behavior to her standards). Honestly, he got reprimanded for looking bored and now he was getting pinched for looking interested. That hardly seemed fair.

“I think my children’s accomplishments speak for themselves,” Hades retorted with barely contained disinterest (apparently Apollo wasn’t the only one that thought this meeting was boring, but he didn’t see Captain Doom and Gloom getting aggressively pinched).

Zeus smiled widened like Hades had fallen into his carefully weaved trap (or as carefully weaved trap as the god of thunder could muster. If it didn’t involve getting his rocks off Zeus didn’t historically have much attention for it, not that there was anything wrong with that). He wasn’t the only god grinning either, Poseidon also looked quite pleased as well. As the two elder gods started nudging each other like overly excited frat boys (Apollo had dated his fair share of those, he recognized the mannerisms) Apollo wondered if he should intercede. After all, if it hadn’t been for Hades acting as the voice of reason (unexpected as that may be) Apollo may have ended up mortal as punishment for his part in Gaea’s attempted coup. The thought alone was just shockingly horrific, Apollo was too good looking and amazing to be mortal, everyone knew that.

Ultimately, Apollo decided it would be best to heed his little sister’s advice and stay silent (even if that meant depriving everyone of his beautiful voice). Hades was a big boy, Apollo was sure he could handle some teasing from his brothers. 

“Well,” The sea god sat up a little straighter as he beamed excitedly at a seriously unamused Hades. “I certainly heard something interesting about one of your children’s…. _accomplishments._ ”

Hades eyes narrowed at his two brothers who were the only gods around the room brave enough to be openly snickering. “And what does that mean?” Captain Doom and Gloom questioned darkly.

“He means how our kids are doing it,” Apollo chimed in brightly. He thought that was more than obvious. Yes, he had planned to stay out of it but well he couldn’t help it on this one. All of his children were impressive, they were his children after all, but he had to say he was especially proud of Will. Not only was he an impressive battlefield medic and leader (a real chip off the old block on that front, even if Artemis disagreed and said he was too responsible to possibly be Apollo’s kid) but he had also nabbed himself a complete hottie (good taste in man was definitely a trait Will had gotten from him). Apollo was just clarifying so he didn’t think he earned the vicious pinch Artemis gave him or the death glare Hades shot in his direction. He huffed with annoyance and resisted the urge to throw up his hands in surrender. He was just trying to help, why was he getting pinched? “Well, they are.”

There were rules about gods using their abilities during the yearly meetings, so Apollo was totally safe even if the room did seem to get darker for an inexplicable reason. Persephone sighed and patted Hades’ leg right above the knee like she was telling him to cool it. Hades took a controlled breath before declaring in a practiced tone. “If Nico’s happy … I’m happy.” Captain Doom and Gloom actually looked pained as he said it.

Alright, sure his kid turned out to be shockingly attractive and no one had seen that coming. Yeah, Hades’ rugrats tended to be powerful, but total tens, not so much. Apollo certainly hadn’t seen that coming and he was the god of prophecy. Hot or not, Hades kid was still a child of the underworld, and Apollo’s kid, any of his kids should have been considered a freaking catch. Hades should have been freaking ecstatic.

Before Apollo could point any of that out (more forcefully that his sister would have approved of) Zeus and Poseidon chimed in with a fake cheer that didn’t at all hide their doubt. “Really?” The two elder gods questioned in unison.

Hades shifted with visible discomfort as he spoke with far more uncertainty than an elder god had any right to, “Yes.”

Zeus and Poseidon exchanged a knowing look and openly chuckled, a few other (brave) gods and goddess’s snickered quietly at the response. Yeah, it definitely seemed to be getting darker, and Apollo really didn’t know why Hades seemed to be glaring at him, but he definitely was.

“Our boys are great together,” Apollo declared as he waved off the less thoughtful gods’ snickering. And maybe some (a very small some) of his bravado was meant to assuage Hades’ cold wrath (which was just so unfairly directed at Apollo for whatever reason). Hades didn’t look at all comforted and there were more than a few doubtful looks around the room. On the surface, Apollo totally got it- one of his kids (bright, talented, handsome, and a medic to boot) with a gloomy underworld kids- it wasn’t an obvious pairing, to say the least. Apollo definitely hadn’t seen it at first either but after peaking in on the two once or twice it made sense.

That was it, Apollo had an absolute stroke of genius. “I’ll show you,” He declared pulling his hi-tech (brand- new) Hephaestus minted sunglasses. According to the forger god, the specks got more T.V. stations than the most deluxe satellite package and could even act as a projector. Apollo had brought them along in case the meeting got so unbearably boring he decided he wanted to tone it out. He honestly hadn’t thought he would ever find a good use of the projector feature but here it was.

“Let me just….” Apollo started fiddling with the controls on the sides of the glasses. It took a few seconds to find the on button (Oh, Victoria’s Secret fashion show! Was he DVRing that ‘cause damn) and a few more to find the button to switch them to projector mode. First, there was just static before Apollo managed to get the things tuned to the demigod stations. He flipped past Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter stations but didn’t find either of the boys. He kept clicking through the stations until he hit one that dinged.

The image wasn’t exactly what Apollo had expected. He had figured he would find his son and the Hades boy cuddling or talking or at the most kissing. When he had peeked in the past that was he had found but not this time. This time there were just feet, a tangle of feet.

“Well, that’s enlightening,” Hera declared with disinterest.

“The button to zoom out is on the left,” Hephaestus instructed gruffly.

Apollo shot the fire god a look. He wasn’t an idiot, he knew where the zoom out button was even if it took him a few seconds. He found the aforementioned buttoned and pressed it a few times until the image zoomed out revealing a pleasant looking valley (although it was a little too perfect to be real) and two very naked and very close demigods.

“Oh,” Apollo declared with surprise, although Will was his kid so he really shouldn’t have been. He did resist the urge to shout _that da boy!_ Because it was obviously not the appropriate time, he could see that (his restraint had nothing to do with the heated glares coming from Artemis and Hades). “Well, that wasn’t what I had intended but they do look good together.”

“Oh, yes they do!” Aphrodite agreed happily.

“Shut.It. _Off_ ,” Hades ordered with murder in his eyes.

Apollo did _not_ need to be told twice, he fumbled for the power button for a moment before finding it and causing the image to flicker out of existence. “Right, well, I kind of figured it would be the other way around…” he observed. Whatever they were peeking in on, it looked like they had missed the main event (so to speak) but not by much. Form the looks of things Apollo was pretty sure he could guess who had taken which role in the actual act. Don’t miss understand it wasn’t like there was anything wrong with catching (Apollo was _absolutely_ a fan with the right partner), but he had figured Will was more of the …pitcher in the relationship. “But whatever,” he waved the thought off just in time to be viciously jabbed in the rib by his sister. Next meeting he was sitting next to someone nicer, like literally anyone but Artemis. He coughed at the abuse before addressing the other gods more formally, “So the boys are having some…. _private time_ currently, we’ll have to try again later.”

“ _Apollo,_ ” Hades growled a warning. One look at the god of the underworld and it was clear he was glowering at Apollo like the fact that his son was sexually active was somehow personally Apollo’s fault. Apollo could absolutely take responsibility for that for plenty of guys, but Hades kid was not one of them, so he really didn’t get it.

“What?” Apollo tossed up his hands in surrender. He was so done with this entire thing. “I gave my boy the talk as asked,” he pointed in complete exasperation.

“That was not _The Talk_!” Hades shot back insistently. Next to him, Persephone sighed heavily like she had heard this bit on more than a few occasions and was beyond bored of it as she patted her husband’s leg with disinterest.

Okay, so Hades _might_ have mentioned on a few occasions that Apollo’s sex talk had not been exactly what he had in mind but honestly what had he expected? He certainly was going to get Apollo to preach about the virtues of abstinence. His talk had been informative and useful, he was seriously considering recording it and adding it to the camp’s introductory films. “Call it whatever you want,” Apollo waved off the angry god dismissively. “They are currently putting that knowledge to good use.”

“THAT is exactly my problem!” Hades bellowed as he shifted in his throne like he meant to stand.

Apollo totally wasn’t worried. Obviously, if it came down to a fight he could _totally_ take Hades. So, any relief he felt when Persephone caught her husband by the shoulder and urged him to sit down was for Hades’ sake, not his own (obviously). “Hades, dear,” was all the flower goddess said but it seemed to be enough to leave the god of the underworld sitting deflated.

“If it is any consolation” Athena chimed in directing what Apollo guessed was her version of sympathy toward Hades. “My daughter is actually engaged to that one’s-” she pointed toward Poseidon with an accusatory finger “-son.”

Hades shuttered visibly, “I suppose it is always good to be reminded that it could be worse.” He commented plainly.

“Percy is awesome” Poseidon declared defensively, “You are all just jealous because he’s obviously the best demigod alive.”

There was an eruption of voices as multiple gods tried to dispute that ascertain at once. Just like that, they were back to bickering about who had the best demigod child, and Apollo was seriously considering taking a nap.


	28. Perspective

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise!
> 
> I know this is not Wednesday but it is the same calendar date as this chapter so I really couldn't resist.
> 
> WARNING: This chapter contains some homophobic language.
> 
> Happy New Years!

New Years was supposed to be fun.

That had been Felix’ private motto for weeks. New Year’s Eve had always been fun in the past. Actually, it used to be one of Felix’ favorite times of the year.

Back in Vermont, Felix and his other friends from the soccer team, as well as everyone's girlfriends, would go into the city. They were all underage so it wasn’t like they could hit up the bars and restaurants on Church Street but there were some places off the main drag that teens could get in with even the shittiest fake IDs, and there was always someone willing to buy them drinks once they were inside.

In was surreal how much his life had changed in a year, it hurt to think about it. Sure, he was still technically on the soccer team although he was no longer captain and was stuck playing mid-field which he fucking hated. He was also pretty sure most of the team disliked him thanks to Will (because apparently, he had the final say on that for some fucking reason). Also, he was currently without a girlfriend (he went from dating a cheerleader/gymnast to nothing which was beyond fucking depressing), and pretty much had no friends except for Dean….

And if that wasn’t the biggest change in his life Felix really didn’t know what was: Dean-fucking-Solace. Dean might have been the best and worst thing to happen to him in the shit storm that had been his parent’s divorce and his father’s asinine move because he “needed a change of scenery and a fresh start”. Felix really didn’t know how he felt about Dean……

Actually, that was a lie. Felix knew _exactly_ how he felt about Dean, he just had no idea how he was supposed to feel or how he was supposed to handle it. It wasn’t like Felix had ever been in this type of situation before, and he couldn’t exactly google it:

 _So, I think I have a gay crush on my best friend_ , _what the fuck do I do now?_

It wasn’t like Felix had wanted to feel the way he did, but it just sort of happened. He was gay or anything (and that had been another personal motto for him lately). He had never felt like he did about Dean about any other guy. Okay, sure Felix wasn’t fucking blind. He had always recognized when other guys were attractive, but that didn’t mean he had ever wanted to jump the hot guy walking past him at Starbucks before.

He just hadn’t been mentally or emotionally prepared for meeting Dean or having him in his life. First, and completely unfairly, Dean was _fucking_ hot: he had an amazing tan which was a stunning backdrop to a soft spray of freckles (that weren’t as obnoxiously overbearing like his cousin’s), bright eyes that were the same deep blue as the ocean Felix remembered from a childhood trip with the most perfect flecks of green that just added to the ocean feel. Then there was Dean’s smile, Felix could probably write a poem about Dean’s smile (if he did things like write poetry), it was always bright, honest, and sincere. If it was just Dean’s looks Felix could have gotten past that he was sure but Dean just had to go and be an awesome person on top of being hot (seriously fucking unfair).

Dean was the first person to really be kind to Felix when had moved into town which, if he had done nothing else, Felix would have been forever endured to Dean for that, but it was so much more. Dean was funny and kind but more importantly, he was damaged. He fucking had to be because he saw all of Felix’ misplaced anger for exactly what it was and never really held it against him. Most of the time, Dean was the person that called Felix out on being an asshole for no reason without holding a grudge about it. Dean was the person to show him around town and tell him the things to do when he got bored (Spoiler Alert: There was nothing to do in rural Tennessee when you got bored). Dean was the guy that made sure that Felix made the soccer team, and showed up at his house 12:30 at night with beer because Felix had texted him that he was bored.

Looking back at the summer, Felix really hadn’t stood much of a chance. When Felix realized that he had somehow developed a crush on Dean (and that had been a fucking weird, panic-inducing day) he had completely freaked out (after staring at Dean’s lips for way too long while wondering if Dean was a good kisser). But that had been so many months ago Felix had passed the freakout phase (for the most part) and had come to terms with his own feelings (more or less); he had feelings for Dean who was a guy and that was just part of his life now. If he had the chance he would go for it, but Felix knew that was never going to happen because Dean was straight, so he tried not to think about it.

It might have been easier if Felix distanced himself from Dean, but that wasn’t an option. Felix had just had never had a friend like Dean before and considering where his life was he needed a friend like that. So he tried to bury his emotions, which really he should have been an expert at this point. Didn’t mean it didn’t…. _hurt_ (fuck, he sounded like a fucking girl) sometimes, like when Dean spent an absurd amount hitting on the waitress every fucking time they went to the café (Felix would have fucking killed for there to be one other place to hang out in town). That’s why he was so insistent that New Year’s needed to be fun, he needed it to be something at even resembled normal, for his fucking sanity.

He just wanted one-fucking-night of normal where he could just hang out with his one friend, and it wouldn’t feel like he was getting punched in the stomach. Of course, Will was going to be there, there was no getting around that, so he told himself he could deal with how he always felt like the third wheel when Will was around (he didn’t feel resentful about _that at all_ ).

Felix was even prepared to deal with the way Will turned everything around to talk about Nico. Felix had never known a guy that could make so much drama over a relationship before (maybe it was a gay thing). He didn’t get it at all because he had only seen the two together a couple of times, but they were obviously weirdly devoted to each other. Will had nothing to fucking worry about. But that wasn’t why it bothered Felix so much, it was just being around couples at all was kind of difficult but for some reason, Will’s relationship was a million times harder for Felix to deal with. Maybe it was because Will was gay and it was just striking Felix a little too close to his current situation or maybe it was how fucking supportive Dean was about it (because of course, he was. He’s Dean after all).

All and all, Felix was determined to make it a good night, and it really started off pretty well. Felix was actually damn proud of himself. He got through the whole car ride without telling Will to shut the fuck up and stop bitching about his perfect life. Even if that was a chance that the football team wanted to kick their asses (which seemed a little unfair that they seemed to blame the entire soccer team for Eric’s nose when it was Will’s boyfriend who did it but whatever) Felix actually had hope that the night could be what he needed it to be. He should have fucking known it would all go to hell.

Felix’ friends at his old school had frequently joked calling him a “sport elitist” because he never really saw the point of sports like football. And in all fairness lacrosse and soccer took a hell of a lot more skill than football and he couldn’t be blamed for that. Kyle’s stupid fucking question Felix had a whole new reason to dislike football players. The question of if Felix and Dean were a couple could have been fine, Felix could have lived through hearing the sad reality of his life stated plainly, no they weren’t dating, but that wasn’t what happened. Dean reacted like the mere thought was repulsive. Felix didn’t know what he had expected. He knew Dean was straight, but fuck if it didn’t hurt to see him react like that.

With one stupid football player’s question any chance of the night being what Felix hoped, what he needed it to be, died. He couldn’t look at Dean without feeling like he had been punched in the gut. He needed to get away, and of course, just leaving wasn’t really an option since like a fucking dumbass he had gotten a ride to the party with Dean, but the house was big enough to give him space and time.

First chance he got he separated from the group without a word (it wasn’t like those fuckers would miss him). Space and time were great concepts, but they didn’t make it hurt less and they didn’t unfuck Felix’ life any. Since of recent Felix wasn’t known for handling his emotions in a healthy non-destructive manner he did the only thing he could really think of- He drank.

That might have been an understatement. Felix found a corner to people watch from and drank like the world was ending. He was pretty sure if the beer hadn’t been watered down he would be at serious risk of alcohol poisoning, and he wasn’t a lightweight by any means. Worse yet it didn’t even make him feel any better.

Actually, standing around without friends watching drunken teenagers manage to pair off while he was still alone made him feel even fucking worse. He even watched Eric sneak off with some freshman who really should have known better. Eric was a fucking troll with a crooked nose (thanks to Nico) and he could get someone, but Felix was alone. By his fifth or sixth beer Felix felt properly miserable and to make matters worse Felix had to piss.

When his bladder no longer could be ignored Felix chugged what remained of his latest beer, chucked the cup in the general direction of a trash can, and went in search of a bathroom. It really wasn’t much of a search since someone had put up paper signs with directions, it looked like half of them had been torn down but they were still helpful.

What Felix found when he turned the last corner was about the last thing he had expected. Two guys were standing in each other’s space, they were so close they were either going to start throwing punches or making out and really their body language was all wrong for making out. The shorter one (only by a few inches but it was noticeable) was obviously Eric, since he was facing Felix’ direction there really wasn’t a question of that. The other person was more of a question, he was blond, tan, and tall and for a minute Felix thought it was Dean but then he spoke and ruined the illusion, “I don’t need Nico to kick your ass I can do it all by myself.”

It was Will, so wrong Solace. Strangely, it was the first time Felix processed how much Will looked like Dean even though people were always pointing it out. Dean was a few inches shorter than Will although he was still tale just not unnaturally so (he was only an inch or two taller than Felix). Dean’s hair was closer to a dark blonde or light brown while Will’s hair was lighter. Will also was tanner than Dean but that was probably just because Will went to that weird fucking camp.

Who goes to fucking summer camp when they were fifteen? That was fucking weird.

Maybe in the day to day, Felix focused on the differences- Dean had great blueish green eyes, an easy smile, and his face wasn’t quite as marred by freckles, Dean had the perfect amount of freckles (Felix totally had never thought about counting them because that would be weird). Maybe it was because he was drunk, but if he didn’t think about it too hard about it he could almost pretend…..

Eric’s hands curled into fists, and Felix could see that this was going to go down horribly. The part of him that couldn’t stand Will wanted to just let it happen. Let the self-absorbed ass get a beatdown and maybe he would learn something. Felix seriously entertained that idea for maybe thirty seconds before the reality hit him. He knew he had to step in before Will got pounded into the ground by some roided up jock with a bad attitude. If he didn’t what the fuck would he tell Dean? How would he explain his behavior? _Fuck_!

“Dude,” he called out effectively getting both guys attention. Eric looked annoyed, but Will looked beyond shocked. Felix largely ignored Eric because that fucker didn’t have two brain cells to rub together. Instead, he just talked to Will. It was surprisingly easy, Felix just focused on how much Will looked like Dean. “If you hit him in the face stick to left side impacts” Felix pointed at his own nose as he talked, “Maybe you could straighten out his nose a bit.”

Will grinned and turned back to Eric, “You really should have seen a doctor” Will informed gloatingly, “Your nose definitely healed crooked.”

That just seemed to piss Eric off, a vain in his tree trunk of a neck started to pulse which probably was a bad sign on top of being fucking gross looking. He took another step forward into Will’s space and jammed his finger into Will’s chest. “Listen here, you fag,” Eric hissed.

 _Jesus Christ_ , Felix huffed dismissively. Eric really needed to back off because even if Will was a god-damned giant Felix doubted that together they could take Eric. Maybe if Will’s boyfriend was there they would have a chance because he was into mixed martial arts or something crazy. He kept his uncertainty out of his voice and tried to sound mildly disinterested since that had pretty much his natural state of being since the move it wasn’t as hard as one might suspect. “Dude your batting average against the gays is already bad,” Felix reminded as he leaned against the wall to show how little he cared. “And Will's boyfriend is a tiny thing. I sure that’s not how you tell it but still,” he shrugged. “Do you really want to explain how you got your ass beat by another “fag”?” Even before the whole Dean situation Felix never liked that word and saying it made his skin crawl. Putting air quotes around it only made him feel mildly less gross for saying it. “I doubt your reputation could take that.”

There was no way that shit was going to work, Felix was convinced of it, Eric was too stupid and impulsive to think about his reputation in the moment. Eric huffed and took a half a step back and it took everything Felix had to hide his shock. “Whatever,” Eric hissed as he pushed past first Will than Felix.

Felix couldn’t help but watch Eric go still amazed that had actually fucking worked. Eric must have been drunker than Felix. As soon as Eric was out of sight Will had to open his mouth and make it real fucking difficult for Felix to stay in a good mood. “Didn’t need your help,” Will pointed out defensively.

Why couldn’t Will just say fucking thank you like a normal fucking person? Or maybe at least recognize that Felix was fucking trying. Not that he particularly cared for Will, and he didn’t see it changing, but he was fucking trying because of Dean. It mattered to Dean if they at least tried to get along and Dean mattered to Felix. He was supposed to matter to Will too. Shouldn’t that have been enough for them to try? A piece of common ground. It was enough for Felix even when thinking about Dean made him feel like someone had punched a hole in his chest but apparently, it wasn’t for holier-than-thou Will-fucking-Solace.

Felix was too fucking drunk and had too much other shit on his mind to let Will’s general personality problems bother him, even if the golden boy was acting like a complete jackass. Normally, Felix would just tell the knock-off Solace to go fuck himself (because someone had to) and walk away but that’s not what he did. His drunk brain was doing something fucking weird. He found himself focusing on the things that Will had in common with Dean. Standing there looking at Will in the dark fucking plastered it was actually pretty fucking easy.

Felix laughed like he would to one of Dean’s crappy jokes or the time Dean spent twenty minutes seriously explaining his zombie survival plan. Fuck, Dean had really thought that ridiculous shit out. “Are you seriously complaining about having back up?” He questioned with amusement because seriously who did that?

Will shifted his shoulders uncomfortably and looked around, the nervous habit was so much like Dean it was unnerving. “I …..I don’t know,” he grumbled as he pushed his hands into his pockets. “It’s you and you’re…..” Will looked up and gave a weak nondescript gesture toward Felix before apparently giving up and looking away.

Felix rolled his eyes, pushed off the wall, and took a step forward. It was a larger step than Felix had really intended. He should have just been happy he didn’t wobble noticeable but he couldn’t help but notice he ended up closer to Will than he meant too.

 _Fuck_! Will must have used the same shampoo as Dean or something because he smelled just like him. Not that Felix had memorized the way Dean smelled because that would have involved sniffing one of the hoodies Dean kept in the back of his car which would have been really fucking weird. Whatever the reason the smell was familiar, it was kind of intoxicating (almost as much as the booze). Felix just wanted to be closer because even if it wasn’t really Dean he could pretend it was for a few seconds.

Will immediately took a step back. Felix tried to ignore the distance, or more importantly ignore the fact that the distance bothered him. “Dude, I’m drunk” He declared and without really thinking he took another half step forward. He noticed how Will went to take another step backward but his back hit the wall stopping him in his track. Without even thinking about what he was doing Felix took a step forward and reached a hand out. He splayed his fingers on the wall near Will’s head and leaned his weight on it.

At first, Felix was successful in lying to himself. He actually believed he was just leaning because he was drunk for a few moments. The alternative explanation was just too much to process, at least at first.

The ignorance didn’t last long because even drunk Felix recognized what he was doing. Felix knew he couldn’t have what he really wanted (Dean). but he was so tired of being alone. Yeah, Will was in a lot of ways nowhere near what he wanted, and Felix didn’t really like him as a person. But he smelled like Dean, and Felix was pretty sure he was drunk enough that he could pretend for that night. And who knew, maybe it would help him just get Dean out of his system without him ever having to tell Dean about his feelings and risk losing his only friend. “It’s got me in a friendly mood.”

“Right,” Will replied ducking his head. “Well, thanks for the assist as unnecessary as it was,” He stated awkwardly before pushing off the wall and half turned to walk away.

Even in the moment, Felix recognized what he was doing was probably the worst idea he had ever had, and he wasn’t even sure he actually wanted it. Worse yet, what was his end game in this? What did he actually think would come of this?

Sure, a drunken make-out session was far from unheard of at high school party. Even if it wasn’t Dean, Felix thought he could lie to himself enough to be okay with that. But Will had like actually…..been with guys, like full on penetrative stuff.

Fun fact, when you find yourself sexually attracted to your best friend who was the same sex as you, you have to evaluate your feelings about gay sex. So yeah Felix given that sort of stuff some serious thought and maybe even looked at some stuff. Boy, had that been a fucking eye-opening experience, and not necessarily in a bad way (just really unexpectedly eye-opening). If it were Dean, like for real, he was pretty sure it was something he wanted (and Felix had definitely never spent time thinking about what it would be like if it was Dean) but this…..he didn’t think he could give up his V card to a guy he didn’t even like. The fact that that guy had actual experience just made the whole situation more intimidating.  

His own uncertainties didn’t stop him from reaching out and catching Will by the arm. “Wait a minute,” Felix was surprised with how vulnerable his voice sounded. He hoped he was just hearing things wrong due to his current level of intoxication.  

Will pulled his arm out of Felix’ grasp like his touch was actually poison which was beyond fucking necessary but pretty in line with Will’s typical asshole behavior. “Don’t touch me, dude,” Will instructed with clear disgust.

Felix pulled his hand back. Will was making it really difficult to pretend, and it wasn’t like he was Felix’ first fucking choice. Even as he was fucking annoyed he knew he should just take the out Will was giving him. He should just let Will walk away, and pretend like none of this ever happened.

“Why do you have to be a dick?” He growled because apparently his mouth and his brain weren’t completely in sync at the moment (he was going to blame the alcohol for that).

Will smirked at him. _Seriously how could Will and Dean be fucking related_? Dean was always….nice even when he was kind of being an asshole or inadvertently ripping Felix’ heart out of his chest, he was still nice. “You’re seriously asking me that?” Will questioned.

Felix may not have been overly friendly toward Will since they had met but he had his reasons and fuck him for holding grudges. Will was at least partially blame for their problems in the first place. Will acted like the pouting little brat when the parents brought home the second baby. Felix had just started settling into something that resembled a life he could live with, he had a friend (a friend he realized he desperately wanted to jump in bed with but a friend) and then Will showed the fuck up and just demanded to be the center of fucking attention all the time.

The fact that Will was a self-absorbed attention whore was bad, but what was worse was Dean always deferred to Will. It was suddenly like Felix went from having a friend to being the third fucking wheel. Felix was already going through some shit so he didn’t handle that particularly well. What was Will’s fucking excuse for being an asshole?

“Well, I’m trying to be nice right now.” Felix pointed out feeling a little triumphant. He was trying to be nice, sort of, so Will really didn’t have a reason to question him. Sure, for a moment, his drunken ass had been thinking about other things, but Will didn’t know that.

Will laughed, which was both insulting (because really, _what the fuck_ ) and confusing (because of course his laugh was just so similar to Dean’s). “No, you’re not!” Will retorted like an accusation. “I’m pretty sure I know what you’re trying to do and it isn’t being _nice_.”

 _Fuck_! Apparently, Felix hadn’t been as subtle as he thought (why the fuck did Dean never notice but Will immediately picked up on it? Felix was fucking cursed, that’s why). Felix just wanted to shrink in on himself but settled for pulling his arms around himself, “What can I say?” he questioned defiantly in an attempt to save face. “I don’t want to spend New Years’ Eve alone.” He shifted uncomfortably and dared to peek at Will to see if he was actually buying his fake bravado. Will was watching him with either disinterest or disgust with his eyes that were just too blue and too cold. “Can you really hold that against me?” At least Felix had the advantage of it being the truth, it wasn’t the whole truth but it was part of it.

“This is going to sound harsh,” Will informed casually. _Great_ , usually Will being a dick came without warning, so Felix couldn’t wait to hear what he thought deserved a cautionary statement. “But I don’t like you on a very basic level as a person, and I’m pretty sure the feeling is mutual.”

Felix shifted his gaze around the dark hallway to find a safe place to look. Honestly, he was starting to feel like a caged animal, and that was unpleasant. He knew from the very start this had been a bad idea, but it was actually turning out worse than expected. Where the fuck did Will get off anyway, say he didn’t like Felix on a basic human level? Yeah, they didn’t get along and Felix didn’t particularly like Will but what the fuck? That wasn’t even what this had been about in the first place. “We don’t have to like each other to fuck,” Felix pointed out uncomfortably. Yeah, he hadn’t really been making a move on Will because of Will but he wasn’t exactly planning on explaining that to Will. Also, he hadn’t been fully committed to the idea of losing his virginity to the cousin of the guy he actually wanted just because they looked sort of similar and used the same shampoo.

Will actually brought his hand to his mouth and made a show of gagging (seriously, how did anyone thinking Will was a nice guy?). “I think I just throw up a little in my mouth,” Will stated when he finally dropped his hand from his mouth.

 _Seriously, what the fuck_? First of all, Felix totally got what Will was going for with the little theatrics that actual declaration was completely unnecessary. Also, while Felix was aware he and Will didn’t exactly see eye to eye on pretty much anything but Felix didn’t think the idea was gag worthy. Felix may not have been a fucking underwear model (because of course Will was dating a fucking underwear model his life was that perfect) but Felix knew he was objectively attractive. And considering the fact that Will was in permanent crisis over his model boyfriend it seemed like he was about half a second from being single so maybe he shouldn’t be such a dick. Somewhere in the back of his head, he knew he should just chalk it up as Will being a dick as usual but he was too drunk to listen to his better judgment. “Give me one good reason why we shouldn’t?” He questioned more to prove a point and maybe scrap a little of his quickly dwindling ego off the floor.

“Besides hating each other?” Will questioned doubtfully. Felix just nodded and hoped that Will would just get on with it. “I can give you two.” Will replied seriously, almost triumphantly. “You’re not Nico and I’m not Dean.”

Felix felt like he had just been slapped in the face. If he actually stumbled from the impact of Will’s words he wouldn’t have been surprised.

_He knew._

Will knew the secret Felix was pretty sure he was going to take to his grave. The thought was so panic-inducing Felix thought he might throw up ( _why the fuck had he thought drinking was a good idea_ ). The panic was surprisingly short-lived when he realized that Will must have loved having that knowledge as he told Dean what a horrible fucking person he thought Felix was. _Holy fuck! Has he told Dean?_ “Whatever,” He hissed as he pushed off the wall. “It’s your fucking loss,” he hissed angrily back.

“Glad you’re over trying to be nice,” Will commented with a dismissive roll of his eyes before turning like he was actually going to walk away like it was nothing.

 _Fuck him_! That was really all Felix could think. He was actually seeing red. How fucking dare Will just throw something so private (and none of his fucking business) back in Felix’ face like a weapon. Like it didn’t already hurt enough having feelings for his best friend that would never be reciprocated but having it thrown back in his face. “Honest is better than nice,” he called after Will too angry to stop himself or to care anymore. “And honestly you’re going to regret it.”

Will actually stopped and glanced over his shoulder to declare so dismissively it was blatantly fucking offensive. “Doubt that.”

 _Leave it_ , Felix’ brain told him but another part of him just wanted to hit Will in a sore spot. Clearly, Will didn’t have any problem with that so why should Felix fucking care? Why should Will’s life be all bubblegum and fucking rainbows? “Sure you will,” Felix replied with a cold smile and a casual shrug. He knew what he was about to say was ugly and he didn’t fucking care, he hoped it haunted Will’s fucking dreams. “When you find out your boyfriend was grabbing ankle for that Percy guy while you were here being fucking pathetic you’ll-”

Felix was cut off when Will’s fist made contact with his face. Felix was pretty sure he heard a crunch but he couldn’t be sure with the sudden and intense pain radiating from his right eye. He doubled over and pressed his hand to his eye as he slowly slid down the wall until he was sitting on his ass. He wasn’t really sure when Will left, or if he had anything else to say on the matter before he did, and Felix really couldn’t care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it just sort of stops there but I promise there is more to come. And yes, I will be writing Dean and Felix's first kiss.
> 
> Comments and Kudos are always welcomed!


	29. Down the Rabbit Hole

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello All!
> 
> I'm not going to lie, I sort of forgot I said I was going to post this. 
> 
> Hey, at least I remembered before midnight :)
> 
> In advance, sorry for the switch-o-roo :)

Nico stood with Leo, Frank, and Grover as they watched Percy and a still very shirtless Jason run off into the thick crowd of the club’s dance floor as they clumsily pawed at each other and pulled each other along. The two demigods were completely lost in the crowd when Grover declared flatly, “That was unexpected.”

“No, it’s not,” Nico corrected just as flatly. As Nico spoke he leaned against the counter and use two fingers to signal to the bartender that he would like another drink.

As much as Nico may have joked about finding Percy and Jason annoying, they were the closest thing he had to brothers, and he did love them (although he was reluctant to admit that bit aloud). He was actually glad they had both realized they had some level of sexual attraction to each other even if it did take Percy running his tongue up Jason’s happy trail for them to figure it out.

There was simply no way Nico was ever going to get that image out of his mind. _Gross_.

That being said just because Jason and Percy were blind to their own desires didn’t mean everyone else was oblivious. Percy was more obvious about it, but that might have just been in Nico’s point of view. He had watched Percy for a number of years, the way he was with Annabeth, wondering why Percy wasn’t like that with him. Percy wasn’t like he was Annabeth as he was with Jason, but Nico recognized it just the same. It was more like how Percy was with Luke, minus all the _you-tried_ _-to-betray-me-and-destroy-the-world_ baggage. There was a level of competition that went beyond the child of the big three thing that Nico was familiar with.

Nico didn’t nail Jason down until Will shared a rather juicy bit of information. Apparently, when Jason watched gay porn he had a strong preference for one particular porn star that according to Will looked so much like Percy it was eerie.

Nico’s personal experience with gay porn, or porn in general, was limited. It wasn’t that Nico hadn’t been…. _curious_ , but when he was on his own he had never been brave enough to really look and then there had been Gaia and getting kidnapped and the Athena Parthenon. With all of that there hadn’t been time. It wasn’t long after everything seemed to settle that Nico and Will had started dating, and there hadn’t been a need. It wasn’t until Will had gone back to Tennessee for school that Nico had worked up the courage to really look. While he had been somewhat curious about just how much Jason’s preferred gay porn star looked like Percy, Nico had absolutely no desire to see anyone remotely Percy-esque having sex with another guy, so he decided to just take Will’s word on it.

“Seriously? Have you spent more than two minutes with Percy and Jason?” Leo directed the question to Grover with a typical Leo grin. “I’m surprised we didn’t catch them going at it on the Argo II.”

That was an exaggeration, or at least Nico thought it was, but he couldn’t be sure. He had actually never been on the Argo II with both Jason and Percy. Nico had only been aboard the Argo II when Percy and Annabeth were trapped in Tartarus, and he had left when they had returned for obvious reasons, but he got Leo’s point all the same.

“We’re we on the same ship?” Frank questioned. He clearly didn’t get the point Leo was making or maybe it was the half a drink the son of Mars had had. Nico certainly wouldn’t lie and say he wasn’t at least a little affected by the drinks he had had.

“Yup,” Leo replied with a pop sound as he patted Frank on the shoulders. “You were too busy trying to bang Nico’s sister to notice”

“What?” Frank sputtered. His face turning red as Nico saw him look in his direction in complete horror. Nico surprised even himself by not reacting to the comment. Considering what he had catch Frank and Hazel doing when he had first arrived in New Rome he should have found the suggestion at least a little annoying. Maybe Nico needed to slow down on the booze. Frank failed to notice that Nico really didn’t care and continued to sputter comically, “No, that’s not…I….We…”

“Breath,” Nico held up a hand to signal Frank to stop. It may not have been annoying to watch the demigod desperately try to think of something to say, but it wasn’t really all that entertaining either. “I’m too drunk to worry about that,” he admitted dismissively. The words had barely left his mouth when the bartender appeared, deposited a drink next to him, leered at him for a second before winking, and left. Nico picked up the drink without really thinking about it and sipped happy to find it was another rum and coke.

Nico brought his cup to rest back on the bar, the glass clinking against the hard surface loudly indicating to Nico that he had moved with more force than he had intended. The glass didn’t shatter so, no harm no fowl, Nico figured. Frank, however, had a different view on things based on his expression and the way he nervously glanced at the glass on the bar. “Um…..,” Frank hummed nervously.

Leo snorted derisively interrupting whatever protest Frank was going to fumble through. The son of Hephaestus looked at Nico with the same goofy smile he always seemed to have although there was an added element of curiosity. “You’re just a ball of inhibitions and social anxiety when you’re sober, aren’t you?”

“You’re alive,” Nico pointed out with a shrug before taking another sip of his drink. “Are you complaining?” He gave Leo as threatening a look as he could muster considering he was on the edge of being drunk, and he didn’t actually care (or mean it). It didn’t really matter anyway, and Nico lost his desire to sell it pretty quickly.

“Nope,” Leo replied with a pop at the end of the word, and that same stupid grin confirming he didn’t find Nico even remotely threatening. Nico had to admit that was happening more and more with people and while he pretended to be bothered by it, but he sort of liked it (but he would never admit that out loud ever).

From the corner of his eye, Nico noticed a couple of guys a ways down the bar looking in their direction with interest. The bar was on the dark side, and he had no interest in turning to get a better look at them, but from what he could see the two at least appeared to be somewhat close to their age which was an improvement from the older men that seemed to be sending them drinks most of the night. Nico still wasn’t even remotely interested and wanted to make sure he made that well known.

Nico took another large sip of his drink before pushing off the bar and starting to head in the general direction of their old table. Leo and Grove followed suit without question while Frank hesitated for a few second before stumbling after them. “Wait,” Frank called and when Nico stopped and turned to the son of Mars he found him looking back confused. “What should I do with this?” Frank held up Jason’s shirt with clear uncertainty.

“Hold on to it,” Nico answered plainly. Honestly, it seemed like a pretty obvious answer.

“Yeah,” Leo agreed quickly with good-humor in his tone. “Jason might want to cover his shame once Percy has his way with him.”

Nico turned to Leo sure he was joking. It was Leo, he was always joking, but he seemed at least semi-serious about how he thought the dynamics between Jason and Percy would play out. _Did they know completely different people?_ “I think it will be the other way around,” Nico stated.

It wasn’t that Jason or Percy struck Nico as particularly passive, not that one had to be passive to be willing to bottom. Nico thought of himself as proof of that. It was just that Percy tended to be more flexible in the way he handled situations while Jason was a bit more rigid. Nico had always found it interesting because the two demigods often seemed like the perfect personification of the Greek and Roman fighting styles: Percy was the improvisational Greek and Jason was the rule-governed and strategic Roman. Considering the general competitiveness that existed between Percy and Jason, and the fact Jason grew up Roman (Ancient Rome did not have the most progressive views on homosexual sex, and while New Roman may be more progressive, Nico knew some of the old beliefs still lingered) Nico just couldn’t see Jason bottoming with Percy, at least not at first.

There was no real point in explaining that all to Leo because there was no way Percy and Jason were going to get that far in whatever dark corner they managed to find so he left it at that. Leo didn’t look even remotely convinced. “Really?” the son of Hephaestus questioned doubtfully. Nico’s only response was to stare back at him seriously and after a few seconds, Leo shrugged. “You’re the expert, I guess.”

Nico didn’t think expert was the right word, but he certainly knew more on the topic than Leo. He nodded as a show of victory before once again starting toward their old table. Who knew, it might still be free. Nico doubted he would get that lucky, but what was life without hope?

            The others once again began to follow him without question, even Frank, which felt a little weird. It forced Nico to realize that in his friend group (at least amongst the guys) that he was third in line at the very least to be the leader of the group. Unlike Percy or Jason, Nico never really had the desire to be the leader of anything. He would much rather be on his own, so it took everything in him not to shoe the others out of sheer reflex.

It didn’t matter anyway, they didn’t make it more than three steps before a somewhat familiar called after them, “Hey!” Reluctantly, Nico stopped and turned mainly out of curiosity. He wanted to know why that voice sounded familiar. A guy was trotting toward them from behind the bar, and it took Nico a solid ten seconds for him to figure out it was their waiter just without his apron. He jogged up to where they waited with a smile. “You guys aren’t leaving, are you?”

“Is that a choice?” Frank questioned as he looked at the rest of the group hopefully.

“In theory, yeah,” Leo was quick to reply mimicking Frank’s general demeanor.

“In reality,” It may have seemed mean, but Nico had no difficulty crushing Frank’s hope if for no other reason he wasn’t getting dragged out like this again. Knowing Percy, he would somehow twist things so that they would have to go out again because Frank ran off in the middle of the night. “No.”

Nico watched Frank visibly deflate when faced with the reality of the situation. Leo, however, was completely unaffected, but Nico guessed that was the good thing about Leo. The son of Hephaestus turned to their waiter to answer the original question with the same level of enthusiasm he had shown all night. “So, no, we’re not leaving.”

“Great!” The waiter practically bounced with excitement the cause of which was abundantly clear the way his eyes lingered on Leo. “I’m officially off my shift, and a few guys are talking about flaming shots,” he informed not even pretending to be talking to anyone but Leo as he gestured toward a group of rather rowdy twenty-somethings a few feet away.

Well, if there was anyone to do flaming shots with it was definitely Leo. Too bad for the waiter Leo was straight, or at least Nico thought he was, but after Percy and Jason he guessed he wouldn’t be surprised if another one of his friends ended up not quite straight. Leo was thinking about it, the flaming shots that is, or at least Nico thought he was. Frank was probably trying to think of a way he could get away with leaving and Nico was just trying to figure out if putting a combustible Leo around flames and alcohol was a good idea. A few seconds with no response and the waiter misread their silence (Leo’s silence) as a rejection. He didn’t look disappointed, if anything he looked more determined. Nico admired that so much he found himself sort of hoping Leo at the very least would get curious, so the guy would have a shot. “Or more body shots are always an option if that’s what you boys are into.”

Nico had to admit having seen what a body shot entailed he was definitely intrigued. Not that watching Percy take a shot of tequila out of Jason’s belly button was even remotely sexy, but the thought of it being him and Will was all manner of arousing. “Unless Will showed up and no one told me I’m going to have to say no to any body shots.”

Nico expected some teasing comment from Leo because stuff like that was like the demigod’s form of breathing. Leo’s mind was clearly on something different. “Did you say _flaming_ shots?” he asked with barely contained excitement.

Leo wasn’t subtle, and the waiter didn’t miss his excitement. The guy lit up as he replied, “Absolutely, darlin’.”

 _Why did he have to go and say that_ , Nico wondered mournfully as he took a large sip of his drink to drown his sorrows. The waiter didn’t have the cute little accent Will had that got thicker when he was back home in Tennessee, but him saying darlin’ like that made Nico think of Will. Thinking of Will made his chest actually ache he missed him so much.

Nico looked at the mostly empty glass in his hand. _I’m going to need another drink_.

“Lead the way to some flaming shots!” Leo exclaimed excitedly as he took a step away from the group and a step toward their waiter. “And boy, do I have some tricks for you!” Leo told him. Nico wondered if he should tell Leo that his impish demeanor could easily come across as flirting, but in the end, he figured Leo would eventually figure that out on his own. Worst case scenario, Leo would get an awkward but hilarious story out of it.

“Follow me gorgeous!” The waiter exclaimed ushering Leo toward the bar.

Nico and the others stood and watched him go. A few seconds passed before Leo was lost in the crowd. “Should we follow?” Grover asked with uncertainty as he pointed in the general direction Leo had gone.

“You can,” Nico replied plainly before adding with a shrug, “I’m not.”

With that Nico turned on his heels and once again headed toward the tables that lined the outskirts of the dance floor. He had a strong desire to sit down and to have another drink. The later was easy to deal with, he held up and pointed to his nearly empty glass the first time he caught a waiter’s eye. As for the former, well he got lucky because as it turned out their table from early hadn’t be taken.

Nico slid into his former seat just in time for a fresh drink to be slide in front of him by the new waiter; a tall redhead who winked at him before walking away from the table. Frank and Grover had apparently followed him. Grover returned to his seat while Frank stood next to the table, Jason’s shirt still in hand, and a nervous expression on his face.

Nico was pretty sure Frank would have stood there all night without saying a word if no one questioned him. Nico didn’t feel much like talking so instead of asking outright he just gave the son of Mars a pointed look as he drained his mostly empty glass before moving to his fresh drink.

Frank hummed nervously for a few seconds before finally just saying what was on his mind. “Should we at least check on Jason and Percy?”

Nico didn’t know what he had expected Frank to say, but it hadn’t been that, and it took everything in him not to choke on his drink. He managed to swallow (barely) before breaking out in a fit of laughter. Why would they possibly want to do that? It was the most ridiculous thing. When he managed to stop his chest hurt he had laughed so hard. “Absolutely not!”

Frank’s expression of concern didn’t falter. Actually, if anything it only seemed to deepen. “But….?”

“They seemed fine when they…. um…. left,” Grover offered. Nico didn’t know if he was exactly trying to reassure Frank, but he was definitely speaking the truth.

“See,” Nico offered in an attempt to be reassuring or at least stop Frank’s rather unhelpful suggestions. “They’re fine, and I have no desire to see either of them naked so…” he left the rest left unsaid instead shrugging before picking up his drink.

Nico took a few (large-ish) swallows of his drink well aware that Frank was watching him with that same concerned look. Frank needed to lighten up a bit. “Maybe you should slow down a little?” Frank offered, his eyes going from Nico to the glass in his hand and back again.

“I don’t see why?” Nico replied seriously placing his drink on the table. He was somewhere he didn’t want to be, miles away from the person he wanted to be with, and the whole reason for that was currently hooking up with one of their mutual friends in whatever dark corner he managed to find. Getting drunk seemed like a reasonable response to all of that.

Nico noticed that Frank shot Grover a look as if searching for support, and from the look Grover returned, Nico didn’t think the Satyr was disagreeing with Frank, but he didn’t look eager to jump in on the topic either.

 _Great_ , Nico thought trying not to feel betrayed (and failing), _they are ganging up on me now_.

Nico took a breath before going to remind his sister’s boyfriend and the Satyr in no uncertain terms how capable he was of taking care of himself. How quickly everyone seemed to forget how long Nico had been on his own, and he was far more capable now than he had been when he first went off on his own. He didn’t even get out a syllable. 

“Zhang?” A voice called from somewhere off to Nico’s right toward the dance floor.

“Yes,” Frank replied uncertainty as he looked around to locate the voice.

Nico looked around too and couldn’t find its source for several long seconds until two guys appeared having finished pushing their way through the crowd at the edge of the dance floor. The guy in the lead was tall and muscular with a medium complexion and short hair the color of which was in the no-mans-land between blonde and brown. Walking a few steps behind the first guy was the second who was a few inches shorter with a leaner build and ebony skin. Even in the distance and in the low light Nico could see the Legion mark on their arms indicating they were both children of Victoria, the goddess of victory. The one in the lead was waving to them excitedly and practically running toward the table, while the one following seemed far more disinterested and was clearly doing the bare minimum required to keep pace with his sibling.

“Oh, my gods, I thought that was you!” The taller guy exclaimed as he reached the table, his attention focused solely on Frank. Nico had to resist the urge to point out that there were other people at the table. “I didn’t realize you were-” Tall guy stopped short and instead of continuing his thought he simply gestured around the club. Nico had to admit that made his meaning pretty clear.

Frank stared at the guy with clear confusion. “Huh?”

The taller guy didn’t seem bothered by Frank’s obliviousness. “Gay,” he explained with a smile before quickly correcting, “Or, I guess bi, ‘cause you’re with Hazel, right?” That was where Nico figured it out. The way the tall guy tilted his head to one side just a little, and the spark of hope that was visible as he continued talking, “Or did you two break up?”

“What?” Frank had sat up much straighter in his chair. His eyes were wide with what Nico could only guess was panic, and his voice was a few octaves higher than normal. “No,” Frank shook his head as he switched to the denial portion of his response. “I’m not-”

“We’re here with friends,” Nico informed flatly. As fun as it was to watch Frank squirm Nico just didn’t seem to be getting as much joy out of it as he usually did.

Both guys turned to stare at Nico, the hope that had been written across the taller guy’s face hadn’t gone completely but it had definitely faded substantially. “Oh.”

The shorter guy didn’t say anything, at least not immediately. Instead, he stared at Nico with an expression that Nico was growing increasingly accustomed to, unfortunately. “You look so familiar,” he declared when he finally spoke pointing at Nico like there was any real question about to whom he was speaking.

Nico sighed and just barely managed to resist the overwhelming urge to roll his eyes. “I model sometimes,” he admitted begrudgingly. He really did enjoy modeling for all the reasons he was constantly explaining to Will, but even he would admit getting recognized all the time was more than a bit annoying.

The shorter guy made a dismissive clicking sound with his tongue and shook his head in the negative. “That’s not it,” he admitted as he continued to stare at Nico clearly trying to place him somehow. “It’s cool, but it’s not it.” The guy kept staring, and Nico really didn’t know what else it could be, but he was considering making something up just, so the guy would stop. Instead of squirming in his chair as a show of discomfort, Nico picked up his drink and drained what remained in two large gulps. Just as Nico returned his emptied glass to the table the short guy smacked the table before pointing at him with sudden excitement. “Aren’t you the ambassador for Pluto?”

“Oh, yeah,” Nico blinked and went to pick up his drink again before realizing he had already drank it. “I’m that too.”

From the corner of his eye, Nico noticed both Grover and Frank staring at him with concern although Grover was the only one brave enough to voice it, “Did you forget?”

“No,” Nico replied defensively as he pushed his empty glass away. The truth was he sort of had forgotten. Not that he was a child of Hades exactly, it was just normally, lately at least, when he was recognized it was because of the modeling and not who his dad was. Getting recognized for the modeling could get annoying, but at least it was something he actually did, something he chose. He preferred that to being recognized because of Hades. He pushed his empty drink glass further away. Maybe Frank was right about him needing to slow down a little. “Not really.”

Neither Frank or Grover looked particularly convinced but the shorter guy didn’t give them a chance (for which Nico was extremely grateful). “You seriously model?” the short guy questioned for the first time since he and his half-sibling arrived at the table he seemed to be genuine interested.

It was almost as if the tall guy and the shorter guy switched roles because as the shorter guy became overly interested the taller guy looked mildly annoyed. He went as far as to smack the shorter guy on the chest to catch his attention (Nico guessed). “Why does that surprise you?” He questioned before pointing at Nico, “Look at him.” Nico didn’t really know what that was supposed to mean. Will had made a comment once not long after he found out about the modeling that he should have figured. Nico had questioned him about that or at least tried to, but somehow it had turned into them having sex, and he never got his answer. Normally, with a stranger, Nico wouldn’t even consider asking what he met but at that moment he actually thought about it.

Before he ever got a chance, the taller guy turned back to Frank once again all smiles. “So, Frank I’ve got to ask,” tall guy started propping his elbows on the table and leaning toward Frank with bright interest. “You are such a commanding leader on the battlefield, does that carry over to anything else?”

Nico had to bite his lip to stop from immediately laughing. And here he was thinking Leo was the one that would be leaving the night with a funny, if slightly embarrassing, story, but this was so much better than getting hit on by the waiter. What made it even better, Nico turned to look at Frank and saw he was completely confused. “Huh?” the son of Mars questioned as he looked around the table for answers.

“He’s asking if you’re dominate in bed,” Nico explained flatly without hesitation. As much fun as it would have been to watch Frank flounder a little longer Nico decided to take pity if not for his sister’s boyfriend than for the tall guy who apparently had questionable tastes in men.

Frank’s eyes went comically wide as he processed what Nico had just said. He began to stammer and stutter but didn’t manage to get out a single word to spite the effort. That alone would have made the night almost worth it be then Nico noticed that Frank had sprouted whiskers which just made it all the better. It still didn’t make the night worth it, but it was certainly extremely amusing.

In the matter of about a minute, Frank appeared to disappear from his seat much to the confusion of the tall guy and his half-sibling. “Ay, what just happened?” the tall guy asked nervously as he looked around with confusion.

Nico leaned to reach into Frank’s chair. His hand easily found something soft and fluffy and grabbed a bit of fur at what he figured was the scruff of the things neck to pull it up. He dropped the very large, very white animal onto the table. “He turned into a rabbit,” he answered just in case the actual rabbit didn’t answer his question well enough.

“He’s a Florida White Rabbit,” Grover explained with excitement as he reached out to pet Frank where he sat on the table. Nico wasn’t an expert on rabbit facial expressions, but he got the impression that Frank didn’t like that.

Nico was going to pet that Frank rabbit like crazy, he realized immediately. It could be revenge for Frank making out with his sister and Frank would get to keep all his limbs. Everyone would win!

“Well, you can’t say that doesn’t answer the question,” the shorter guy declared with a smirk. Nico couldn’t have agreed with the guy’s assessment more.

One look at the taller guy and Nico could see whatever fantasy the guy had going on in his mind slip away. “Disappointing,” he admitted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I'm a horrible person for not giving you the rest of the New Year's Eve Night for Dean and Felix but I promise it will be the next chapter ;)


	30. Car Trouble

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's here! It is finally here!
> 
> Let's just not talk about how long I have been working on this chapter :)
> 
> Boy, I hope everyone enjoys this as much as I do!
> 
> And sorry for the swearing. Someone really needs to wash Felix's mouth out with soap!

Pain had very strange effect on time. It made time seem move too fast and too slow at the all at once. Felix wasn’t sure how long he sat in that stupid hallway holding his damn eye before someone turned the corner and found him. And just Felix’ fucking luck it was the overly helpful football player that was throwing the party.

_What was that fucker’s malfunction anyway?_

He tried to tell the guy to just fuck off, he was fine, but the dude was annoyingly fucking persistent (and Felix was fucking cursed). Felix ended up in the kitchen with a bag of frozen peas pressed to his rapidly swelling eye. And that, of course, was where Dean found him. Dean took one look at him, and then let out a rather impressive string of profanity.

Felix thought for sure Dean was going to hit him or tell him off because there was just no way Will didn’t run right to him after he broke Felix’s stupid fucking face.

The dull throb around his eye was a weird distraction from reality, and it took him an embarrassingly long time for him to figure out that Dean wasn’t pissed at him but rather the situation in general. It didn’t fully dawn on him until Dean followed another string of profanity with a statement something like, “I’ve got Will taking the fuck off, and you getting into fistfights. It’s fucking New Year’s Eve! It’s about drinking and hopefully getting laid! Why am I the only one that seems to get that?”

Guilt and shame had Felix wanting to crawl out of his skin around Dean so he did as little talking as he thought he could get away with. It was shockingly easy because football guy ( _Kenny? No. Keith? No, that wasn’t it. Kyle, that was it, Kyle_ ) babbled at Dean like a fucking idiot- Felix didn’t’ even know what the deal was with that, but Kyle seemed pretty desperate to make sure to Dean thought well of him. Maybe Felix wasn’t the only one nursing a crush on Dean Solace.

_If that was the case Kyle could fuck right the fuck off because Felix had gotten there first!_

He couldn’t look at Dean without practically being overrun with a mix of other unpleasant emotions. He desperately wanted to crawl into a deep, dark hole and just die of misery, but really, how the fuck was that anything new? That wasn’t all that different from his day to day life at this point just with the fun addition of a rapidly forming black eye. He believed that right up until Dean grabbed him by the elbow and started pulling him toward the front door as he called back to Kyle that they were keeping the peas.

Felix couldn’t be alone with Dean. It had already been the night from hell, and he really couldn’t take anything else. Felix really tried to brush Dean off with his typical fuck off attitude, but Dean was fucking immune to it. It wasn’t until the sight of Dean’s piece of shit car that Felix hit a level of panic he didn’t think he had ever experienced before in his life. He ended up pulling his arm out of Dean’s grip with far more force than he really intended. He really didn’t want to be a dick, but on a good day being around Dean hurt and this was not a good day. Being alone with him was just too much.

“Dude, I’m fine,” he insisted knowing how fucking idiotic he sounded considering he had a bag of frozen pressed to his eye.

“No, you’re not,” Dean turned on him and shouted like Felix was being an especially petulant child. Dean’s annoyance faded quickly which wasn’t really surprising. Dean wasn’t the type to stay mad. Dean huffed and looked away as he started rummaging through his pockets “Shut the fuck up, keep those frozen peas on your eye, and get in the god damned car.” He ordered nodding in the general direction of his ancient Honda.

Felix shook his head more at his own bad luck more than anything else before moving around to the passage side of Dean’s car without another word of protest. If it was someone else, anyone else, Felix would have continued mouth off just for the fucking principle of the thing, but he just couldn’t with Dean. That didn’t mean he didn’t pout like a fucking child when he made a show of pulling the passenger door open and dropped himself into his seat.

Dean wasn’t far behind him pushing himself in behind the steering wheel grumbling under his breath. Felix lowered the bag of peas from his eye because the cold was actually starting to hurt worse than the lack thereof. He tried to smirk but quickly realized that was a mistake and returned the peas back to their place against his eye. “At least my dad is in Nashville for the night,” he commented halfheartedly looking for a silver lining. That wasn’t something he had a ton of practice doing that sort of thing of late, so he wouldn’t have been surprised if he was doing it wrong.

“You might want to call him unless you’d rather the ER do it,” Dean suggested casually as he jammed the keys into the ignition.

As reflex Felix reached out to stay Dean’s hand before he could start the car. As soon as he felt Dean’s warm skin under his fingers Felix realized his mistake and pulled his hand back. “You can’t take me to the hospital,” he stated insistently.

Felix watched Dean turn to look at him head on and even with one rapidly swelling eye he could see a level of frustration on Dean’s face that was rare. “Have you seen your eye?” He questioned seriously. “I have! I’m taken you to the god-damned hospital.” Dean straightened himself in his seat and turned the keys in the ignition. “It’s not up for fucking discussion,” Felix heard him grumble as the car made a weird clinking sound before the engine finally turned over with a sickly rattling sound.

Felix huffed as he shifted enough in his seat to look Dean dead-on as he decided to change tactics. “I’ve been drinking and so have you,” He reminded. Reason wasn’t one of Felix’s go-to strategies when faced with a problem, but it was usually a safe bet with his best friend. Dean didn’t seem like he was drunk or anything, but Felix was plastered, and it wasn’t like he was falling over or slurring his words, so appearances didn’t mean shit. “Should you even be driving?” he questioned.

“Dude, I’ve had a drink and a half of seriously watered-down beer.” He scuffed dismissively, “I come from hardy alcoholic stock, I’m fine.”

Dean didn’t pull away from the curb as he glared at the variety of lights on the dash. Felix kept his mouth shut about the check engine light he could see flashing. Dean was really proud of his piece of crap car, and Felix wasn’t in a place to judge. More importantly, Felix recognized a casual slip of vulnerable information when he heard it. Felix from a year earlier might have questioned the alcoholic comment, but that was the Felix that didn’t have a point of reference for a fucked-up family.

Felix glared out the windshield as he spoke, “That’s great,” he offered flatly “But the last time I checked neither of us are 21, so how do you think that’s going to over?” he questioned. If Dean said he was fine to drive Felix believed, but they were underage so if Dean got caught driving it didn’t matter if he was fine. It would be bye-bye drivers’ license just to start. If it was Felix he probably wouldn’t give a fuck (it wasn’t like he was using his driver’s license currently), but he didn’t want that for Dean, and it had nothing to do with the fact that Dean was usually his ride.

Dean drummed his fingers on the steering wheel for a minute that might as well have been an eternity. Felix tried to figure out what song Dean was drumming out, but he couldn’t place it. Felix thought for sure Dean would say something about not caring if he got in trouble because that was just the kind of guy Dean was. Felix really wished he could hate him for that (really he would take anything at this point, Dean had to have at least _one_ imperfection). Dean slumped himself against his seat and groaned. “Shit,” he hissed “Fine, no hospital.”

Felix couldn’t really feel excited about his victory when Dean looked defeated like Felix had just kicked his puppy or some other fucked up bullshit. Felix actually had to resist the urge to apologize or worse, agree to go to the stupid fucking hospital (why did Dean have that kind of power over him? Why did he let that happen?).

“Yeah, well good,” Felix tried and failed to sound triumphant. He slouched as much as he could manage in Dean’s small car (leg room wasn’t overly abundant) and reached over himself to pull his seatbelt over his body. He had barely been turned away for a second but when he turned back Dean had his cell phone in hand. Confused, Felix looked between Dean and his phone. “What are you doing?”

Dean tapped his finger again the rather aggressively as he answered with what had to be the worst possible answer, “Calling Will.” Felix watched Dean continue to navigate screens not even bothering to look up at Felix as he talked. “He knows about this sort of stuff,” He explained before adding with visible frustration, “And he fucking owes me for taking the fuck off.”

“Dude, no,” Felix insisted quickly resisting the urge to snatch Dean’s phone out of his hand (because that would involve actually touching Dean which he didn’t think he could take) and swallowed down the majority of his panic at the thought of Dean and Will talking.

Normally, Felix would have fucking celebrated Dean showing any level of negative emotion directed toward Will. Dean almost always acted like Will could do no wrong, it was annoying. Dean’s loyalty wasn’t annoying, but the fact that Will never seemed to put in the same level of effort was. The only time Felix had actually heard Dean express sincere disappointment or frustration with Will was when he had been drinking which might have been why it was showing. Over the summer, Dean had slipped up on more than one occasion and went off about how pissed he was that Will just took off for the summer. Seeing the affect Will’s selfish behavior had on Dean hadn’t exactly primed Felix to like Will.

Now, however, Will represented the end of his friendship with Dean because once Dean heard the things he had said Felix knew he would never forgive him. Felix just wasn’t ready for that. He knew it was coming, but he just wanted a little longer. Even if it was just the ride back to his house. “Just take me home,” he stated with none of the heat he intended.

“No fucking way! Your eye looks awful,” Dean replied dismissively as his dark blue eyes peeked up at Felix through long lashes. He watched as Dean actually winced at the sight of his eye (or at least that was what Felix hoped was the cause) and looked back down at his phone. “You two just need to get the fuck over your bullshit.”

“Dude, please,” Felix pleaded. He tried not to sound as desperate and panicked as he felt but who fucking knew how that came across. His luck he probably came across like a complete asshole. That was how it usually worked even if that wasn’t what Felix wanted. He moved his hand to block Dean’s phone, being careful to avoid actually touching Dean. “Just take me home. If my eye is still bad in the morning I will go to the hospital. I promise.”

Dean sighed heavily. Felix watched with a small sense of relief as Dean lowered his phone a fraction of an inch. When Dean looked up and actually met Felix’ gaze skepticism and concern was written all over his face. Felix swallowed hard and tried to ignore the feeling of his insides twisting in knots under the scrutiny of Dean’s gaze. “Swear?”

“I swear to fucking god,” Felix declared holding up his hand like he was swearing an oath to signal how serious he was. The thing was, Felix was actually serious, and normally he wouldn’t have been, but it was _Dean_. God, he was so fucked.

Dean stared at him skeptically for so long Felix was positive he didn’t believe him and was completely ready to further assure him but then Dean let out a long breath of resignation. “Fine,” Dean shifted the car into gear, pulled out his parking spot, and started down the street. “You are such a fucking pain in my ass.” He grumbled under his breath as he shook his head dismissively.

“But at least I’m not boring,” Felix offered half-heartedly. Why was Dean even friends with him, Felix was really beginning to wonder. Sure, they got along really well and always seemed to like the same things. Felix had never been able to talk to anyone like he could with Dean. But what the fuck did Dean get out of this fucking friendship? Dean many not have had a ton of friends, but he got along with everyone well while Felix couldn’t stop coming across like an abrasive asshole. Dean was older, he was cooler, he was smarter, and he actually had his own fucking car. And it wasn’t like Dean would ever be attracted to Felix like Felix was attracted to him. So really, what was in it for him?

Dean chuckled as he came to a stop at the end of the street and turned on his turned the turn signal, “Yeah, you’re definitely not boring.” He agreed sincerely. He said it like he really thought that was a good thing. Maybe Dean was more drunk than he claimed because he clearly wasn’t thinking clearly.

They drove in relative silence for a long stretch of time as Dean drove them out of town. Felix thought about turning on the radio, but the silence wasn’t actually all that bad. Felix was fine sitting in a comfortable silence with Dean because it was probably the last time that would happen.

Why was it that Dean was the only person Felix could just sit in silence with comfortably anymore? Felix tried not to dwell on how off-kilter Dean put him, or how much he didn’t want that to never stop as he focused on the darkness passing by. He didn’t want to look at Dean because even in the minimal light within the car’s cabin Felix knew what he would see and how it would affect him.

It wasn’t until they were driving past the last of the more crowded part of the town that Dean broke the silence. “So…. are you going to tell me what happened?” He questioned sounding more parent then friend.

That was another thing Felix had learned about Dean after spending time with him and really paying attention. Dean played at being the casual joker at times but that wasn’t who he was. Felix wasn’t sure if it had to do with Dean’s dad- he didn’t know that whole situation. It was one of the few things that Dean was tight-lipped about, but Felix had heard enough to get a fuzzy picture or if it was the weird co-dependent thing that he had with Will or some strange combination of the two, but Dean had a mature side a lot of people seemed to miss. Dean was the guy that showed up at your house at one am with beer but also cut you off if you tried to drink more than two drinks in an hour.

This was his moment, Felix knew that. He could tell Dean what happened more or less. Maybe he could try to explain away some of his bad behavior. If he did that there was a chance that just maybe Dean could get past it, and they could still be friends. It probably wouldn’t be like they were but at least friends. Like Felix told himself more times than he cared to admit, something was better than nothing. Felix turned toward his window and watched at the darkness passed by like a million regrets. “It was just a stupid fight,” he replied half-heartedly. Something was definitely better than nothing, but Dean was the only person that didn’t think he was a complete asshole, and Felix didn’t think he could survive seeing Dean’s opinion of him change before his eyes.

There was a long stretch of silence. So long Felix thought Dean was actually going to let it go. Felix had hopes of a few last good memories before his own fucking stupidity ruined the only good thing in his life. That hope died when he heard Dean let out a long breath, “So are you going to tell me who this fight was with or are you just going to leave me hanging?”

Felix turned away from the passenger window and looked at Dean in the driver’s seat. The light from the high beams, or maybe it was the moonlight, but that just seemed cheese-y as fuck, reflected off Dean’s light-colored eyes turning them into silver pools. “Does it fucking matter?” Felix questioned channeling the whirlwind of uncomfortable emotions he was feeling into sounding like an asshole. Luckily for him, he had plenty of practice with that in the last year.

Dean let out what Felix could only think to call an almost-laugh. It was like an amused puff of air. Felix watched as Dean glanced away from the road and his eyes turned from silver to their normal shade of deep blue. It was only for a few seconds before Dean turned his attention back to the road not that it really mattered. They were driving along a long stretch of road between town and Felix’ house which was most often deserted. It was good to hear Dean almost laugh and to see his eyes. He really had the most amazing eyes.

 _Fuck_ , Felix cursed himself. That thinking wasn’t going to help him any. _Don’t think like that_.

“Is that your way of saying you don’t know?” Dean questioned amused. Or was he teasing? Felix couldn’t really be sure, and it really didn’t matter. No matter how lighthearted it seemed when Dean found out what had happened, how Felix had acted with Will he would be beyond pissed. Felix knew that.

Felix grunted ambiguously in response before turning back to gaze out the window. The darkness was infinitely easier and less confusing to look at than Dean’s perfect face.

“Dude, you are the only person I know that could get in a fight with a stranger,” Dean exclaimed having apparently taken Felix’ random noise as a yes to his question. Felix didn’t have to look to feel Dean’s eyes on him. Dean wasn’t the best driver, so it probably would have been advantageous for him to keep his eyes on the road especially since he had been drinking, but Felix sure as fuck wasn’t going to point that out. “Don’t get me wrong, I fucking love your no-nonsense personality but sometimes you need to tone it down a little bit.”

Felix swallowed down the aching in his chest and schooled his feature to look unaffected. He hated when Dean said things like that because he didn’t mean it like the way Felix wanted him too. Shit, did he actually want that? For Dean to be in love with him? Fuck, Felix didn’t know but knowing Dean didn’t, he couldn’t, love him like that still fucking hurt.

That might have been the hardest part of the whole fucking thing too. Dean was always saying things like that or touching him. Dean was the only guy Felix had ever met that could honestly be described as touchy or at least the first one Felix had noticed. Felix would forever vividly remember the first time Dean hugged him.

It had been the first soccer game of the season, and it had been a seriously challenging game. The had spent most of the game tied and only managed to get a lead in the last ten minutes or so, and the other team were fighting back hard. In the last seconds of the game, Felix had managed to stop the other team’s striker from getting near the goal. One last blocked shot and the game was over. Just like that they had won. It was celebrations all around, and it was probably one of the few times Felix had actually felt like part of the team. Then out of fucking nowhere Dean’s arm was thrown over his shoulder and he was being pulled into a hug.

The hug didn’t last long. Maybe a few seconds a half a minute at most, but it was enough to all but kill Felix. At the time, Felix had been trying pretty desperately to repress any and all feelings he had for Dean, and short of being able to do that he was trying to deny they existed. That was the day repression and denial stopped really being an option. Dean fucking smelled amazing. He had been sweaty and disgusting, but he still smelled good. He smelled like coconuts, sand, and other earthy things Felix couldn’t name. Dean’s grip as he had pulled Felix in had felt so solid which was shockingly comforting. And Dean was fucking tall! Felix had always objectively known that Dean was taller than he was, but he never really realized what that meant. It wasn’t that Felix was short, he was around average height, but Dean was easily six foot tall. It was such a brief moment, but Felix couldn’t help but feel like they fit together so well.

“Yeah,” Felix replied without enthusiasm or even real thought as he watched the darkness pass “I get that.”

They fell into another stretch of silence. This one being awkward and uncomfortable. Felix would have sworn he could actually hear Dean think, which was probably the one thing Felix didn’t want to do. A minute or two passed before Dean made a noise like he was going to say something, but before he could get out a single word the car let out a loud and demanding sound. Felix would never describe it as a death rattle out loud when Dean could hear him, but the phrase seemed like a scarily accurate description. 

“Fuck!” Dean cursed and started to pull off the side of the road.

Felix looked over to where Dean was sitting in the driver seat to see the various warning lights reflecting off his tan skin and blue eyes. “What are you doing?” he questioned, and it sounded annoyed. That wasn’t exactly ideal, but it was better than showing how he was really feeling, completely panicked. He needed to get out of this damn car.

The car came to rest half in the grass and issued another sharp popping sound as Dean disengaged the ignition. The lights on the dash faded, casting them in almost complete darkness. The only light was coming from the moon overhead which was only half full and partially overcast by clouds.

Dean groaned as Felix watched him press himself against his seat and scrub at his face with the palm of his hands. It wasn’t a gesture Felix saw from Dean often, but it wasn’t hard to recognize them as signs of frustration. “My car sometimes does this thing,” Dean explained as he brought his hands back to the steering wheel and clutched it unnecessarily tight. “I just have to give it a minute, and it will restart,” he reassured, his fingers beginning to drum at the warn fake leather of the steering wheel rapidly. “Most of the time.”

Felix did not feel reassured, not even a little bit. The fact that Dean appeared, for what Felix could see, to be glaring at the dark dashboard like the car was personally betraying him didn’t help. Also, Felix couldn’t identify the actual song that Dean was tapping out it definitely wasn’t a happy one.

“And the rest of time?” Felix questioned apprehensively as he tried not to look at the dark dash.

“Let’s not worry about that unless we have to,” Dean replied with a non-answer. He sounded defeated or maybe that was just the impression Felix got when he saw Dean’s hands slide off the steering wheel like they had suddenly grown heavy.

Felix turned to gaze once again at the blackness outside of the car window. “Awesome,” He sighed. If he was being completely honest being stuck in the middle of nowhere with a busted as fuck eye in a busted car with his crush who didn’t even realize how he felt and couldn’t see him the way Felix wanted him to was on par with his luck for the evening or even the year. He really needed to get out of the fucking car.

“Come on baby,” Dean spoke sweetly to his P.O.S. Honda with genuine fucking affection. _That wasn’t like getting stabbed in the heart_ , Felix thought bitterly, _hearing his crush talk to his car with more emotion they he would probably muster for Felix_. _God, his life was totally fucked_. “I know you’re a good car,” Dean assured the fucking car.  

Felix figured that the affectionate little speech was a lead up to actually trying to start the car, but Dean didn’t do that. Instead of pushing the key into the ignition and attempting to start the rattling deathtrap, Dean sat back in the driver’s seat and let the back of his head press against the headrest. After a moment of staring out into the blackness that surrounded them, Dean’s head rolled until he was looking at Felix with a thoughtful expression. “I still feel I should take you to the hospital or something,” he admitted softly. None of the force from earlier was in his voice which should have been better but somehow managed to be worse.

“That is really chivalrous of you and everything, but I’m fine,” Felix replied as dismissively as he could muster. As fucked up as it was, or maybe it would be more accurate to say as fucked up as Felix was, he liked that Dean was actually worried about him. There were times, more often than Felix would care to admit, it seemed like Dean was the only person in his life that gave a shit about him. Dean could never know how fucking much that met to Felix, so instead of saying thank you or just keeping his mouth shut Felix acted like an asshole because that was safer than anything real.

“You were punched in the eye, dude,” Dean reminded like the dull throb of Felix’ eye wasn’t enough of a reminder.  “Something could be broken.”

“That would be in line with my luck,” Felix admitted darkly “But I’ll be fine.”

“I know you don’t want to hear this, but I could call Will,” Dean stated with clear hesitation. “He really does know about medical stuff, and he could … I don’t know….help somehow.”

“I already got punched in the eye,” Felix pointed out as he carefully kept his eyes on the window, looking at Dean at that moment just wouldn’t be safe. “I think I have been punished enough for one night.”

Dean sighed and slouched down slightly in his seat deflated. “I wish you two would just get over your petty bull shit and get along.” He commented more to the dark then to Felix.

Felix had gotten the distinct impression that Dean had given up actually trying to get him and Will to play nice, which given what had happened that night that was probably best. There was no way Will was going to tolerate Felix’ existence after he had suggested his boyfriend was fucking around. Even Felix could see that had been an asshole thing to say, but at the moment….. Will shouldn’t have mentioned Dean, that wasn’t fair.

The really funny thing was Felix really had tried to get along with Will at first, if for no other reason than he was practically Dean’s brother. And the way Dean talked about him, Dean may have been the older one, but he clearly admired Will. From day one it was clear Will just saw Felix as a nuisance, and he just always seemed to expect to be the center of Dean’s attention. For the most part, Dean would defer to Will, which seemed so out of character for the guy Felix had gotten to know over the summer it was hard for Felix to watch. Dean, of course, didn’t just drop Felix like dead weight since his real best friend had shown up, they still hung out (although not as much) and Dean always invited him along when he had plans (which clearly annoyed the crap out of Will). It just wasn’t the same, and Felix couldn’t help but blame Will for that.

He didn’t start it but Felix knew he hadn’t done much to make the situation better with Will either. He may not have cared if Will liked him or not, but the fact that they didn’t get along clearly bothered Dean and for that alone, Felix felt guilty.

“Yeah, well there are a lot of things I wish for-” Felix offered staring down at the bag of mostly thawed peas in his lap “-that I’m not going to get either.”

Felix didn’t have to look over to know Dean was looking at him. He could feel Dean’s eyes on him. He was not some blushing twelve-year-old girl, Felix could handle Dean looking at him without completely losing his shit even if sometimes being the center of Dean’s attention made him want to push the blonde up against the nearest wall and kiss him until they were both gasping for air. The way Dean was looking at him at that moment was different than normal, it was more intense. It felt like Dean was actually trying to see into Felix’ very soul.

 _Boy, he’s going to be disappointed with what he finds_ , Felix thought sullenly as he resisted the urge to meet Dean’s eyes. Instead, Felix poked at the dripping bag of once frozen peas that for some stupid reason he was currently holding in his hands awkwardly.

“So….” Dean dragged out the word as he broke the silence. Felix knew in all reality he had only known Dean for something like eight months, but he felt closer to him than he ever had to any of his friends back Vermont. He thought he knew him well enough to know to read his voice, but at that moment he spoke with an odd quality that Felix wasn’t familiar with. “Could I ask you a kind of weird question?”

“Sure?” Felix offered with more uncertainty than he had intended. He couldn’t shake the feeling that nothing good would come from whatever this was. He wanted Dean to just start the car before things could get worse, or maybe he just wanted to run. Felix wasn’t completely sure about anything except that he was positive the fact that he could tell this was a car crash of a disaster waiting to happen, but he still couldn’t make himself try to leave because it was Dean. It was a pretty clear sign of how truly fucked up he was.

It was a bad idea, but he turned his head, so he could meet Dean’s gaze. He found Dean watching him with an uncertainty Felix wasn’t used to seeing on Dean’s handsome features. “And you’ll give me a serious answer, minus your typical snark?”

Everything about the situation felt weird and a little left of center, but Dean’s words seemed like such a normal thing Felix wondered if he was just imagining the whole awkwardness. “I promise nothing,” He replied even managing a little smiled that only caused the slights twinge of pain in his eye. Pretend things were normal because for Dean at least they probably were, Felix had plenty of practice with that.

A large smile spread across Dean’s face which made everything seem worth it. “Asshole,” he laughed as he shook his head dismissively. It took a minute for Dean’s laughter to fade to something that probably could have been described as something close to silence. But wasn’t silence supposed to be empty? This silence felt heavy. Dean took a breath, and everything about him seemed to shift. He pulled his shoulders back, his posture suddenly tense, and his eyes shifted around the cab of the car looking anywhere, but Felix. “Do you….uh…..”

Dean’s fingers were drumming rapidly on the hard steering wheel, and it just seemed to add tension to the situation. Felix knew he was imagining it, but he would have sworn it sounded like a march to war. The cab of the car felt like it was getting smaller, and the cheap booze in Felix’s stomach churned unpleasantly.

What the fuck could Dean be having such a hard time just saying? He had never known Dean to have a hard time finding the words, at least not with him. Things were always so natural between them, so easy. It was one of the things Felix loved.

“Dude, out with it already,” he ordered when the anxiety became too much. Why the fuck was Dean stumbling with his words, Dean never did that with him. The fact that he suddenly was had Felix seriously regretting all the cheap beer he had drank. His night was already the epidemy of shitty. He had actually hit on the wrong Solace (he was seriously never going to be able to shower that off), and his eye still fucking hurt- he was not going to vomit all over Dean’s car.

“Right,” Dean stated taking a shaky breath. He sounded like he was facing a fucking firing squad.

 _What the fuck could be so terrible that Dean sounded so nervous_ , Felix wondered before a sudden feeling of dread washed over him, _he knows_.

Dean dropped his hands away from the steering, driving the car into the sudden silence. Dark blue eyes caught Felix’s gaze, and fuck if it didn’t make his breath catch for a second. “Do you have a crush on me?” Dean questioned.

All the horrible things that had been running through Felix’ mind had in no way prepared him for hearing Dean ask him that question. Felix had actually had nightmares about Dean found out about his feeling, and they never ended well.

Felix swallowed hard forcing down the soar beer that was threating to come back up. “What the FUCK!?!?” he shouted.

 _This couldn’t be happening. Had the car gotten smaller? It felt like the car gotten smaller, and hotter, and the air got thicker_. _Was this what a fucking panic attack felt like?_

Felix struggled to suck in a breath as he tried to get ahold of his reality. _Act mad_ , was the only thing that Felix could really think coherently. If he acted mad or like a dick that was just Felix being Felix, but if he let the panic he was feeling show then it wouldn’t be a question anymore, Dean would _know_. Dean could never know.

“Never mind,” Dean offered a retraction quickly as he held up his hands in a show of defense. “Just… just forget I asked, alright.”

“Why the _fuck_ would you think that?” Felix was still shouting, and he wasn’t even sure why. He physically couldn’t get his voice to come out at a lower volume.

Dean said to just forget it but…..he _couldn’t_. He wanted to, he really fucking wanted to, but he couldn’t. Dean had been the one to bring it up. He had said the very thing that Felix had been refusing to admit out loud for months. It was there now, hanging in the air between them like the elephant in the fucking room. Felix wanted to curse the dozens of bad fucking choices he had made that put him in that car, but more he just wanted the feeling of panic to go away.

Dean squirmed at the question. “Nico kinda…I don’t know, thought…..” he stammered his eyes locked on the window. Felix was sure that was the worst part. Dean couldn’t look at him. Then Dean sighed and turned to meet his own eyes, and Felix realized that was a million times worse. “Dude, I really don’t know,” He said sounding sincere enough, but that was Dean in a nutshell- he was sincerity, and honesty, and loyalty and a bunch of other amazing things Felix failed to be and didn’t deserve. “Just forget I asked. I don’t want things to get weird.”

“Well, it’s fucking weird!” Felix hissed. As much as it hurt, as much as it felt like Felix was trying hard to rip his own heart out of his chest, he needed to make sure this would never come up again. Felix had accepted that Dean would never feel the same way. It was painful as fuck, but he had accepted it. Felix couldn’t lose Dean, he just couldn’t. Dean was literally the only friend he had.

Felix felt fucking exposed worse than if he was sitting there butt-ass-naked. The whole conversation was like ripping the bandage off an open wound, and Felix just wanted to curl in on himself to hide. Unfortunately, in Dean’s tiny-as-fuck Honda he could barely move so the settled for pulling his arms over his chest and glaring out the passenger window. “Just because Will turned out to be gay, and you were oblivious doesn’t mean everyone else is fucking fag.”

“Wow,” Dean exclaimed. Felix had known the moment the words had left his mouth it was an all-time low even for him, but the sound in Dean’s voice really drove it home.  

He shouldn’t have looked at Dean. He knew it even before he did it, but that didn’t stop him. The look on Dean’s face, Felix was pretty sure there weren’t words to describe the look on his face, but if Felix had to pick one he would probably have gone with disgust. Felix couldn’t even blame him after he had used the same homophobic vocabulary Eric had an hour earlier. “Dude, that was a dick thing to say even for you.”

Dean had never looked like that or sounded like that with Felix, even when Felix was being a really fucking asshole. It was kind of laughable, Dean didn’t know that Felix had a crush on him, not really, and he didn’t know about his drunken pass at Will, but it seemed like their friendship might still be over, and Felix would have no one to blame but himself.

 _I really should have seen this coming_ , Felix thought bitterly.

“Whatever,” Felix spat back glad when he heard his own voice. The audible misplaced rage wasn’t great, but at least it wasn’t obvious he was choking back tears. “Will you just start the fucking car already,” he demanded more weakly. Honestly, after being punched in the eye and having his world turned upside down for what felt like half a dozen times in a matter of seconds, he didn’t have the energy for much more bravado.

“Gladly,” Dean declared and damn if there wasn’t venom in his tone. Felix watched as Dean jammed the key back in the ignition and turned it with far more force than seemed necessary. The car didn’t start. It made a few weird metallic clicking noises like earlier, and the headlights came to life for a few seconds but then the car went dead. Dean tried a second time, but the car did nothing.

Felix expected Dean to handle the car issue the same way the guy seemed to handle everything else, with this relaxed, almost Zen-like pose, but he didn’t. Dean let out an almost animalistic growl as he pulled the keys back out of the ignition with force. When he turned to look at Felix straight on there, there was something in his motion and his posture, his entire body language really that caused Felix to flinch. Felix had never thought Dean as being an aggressive person, but at that moment, he was sure Dean was going to hit him. Getting punched in the face by two Solaces in one night seemed on par with Felix’s life.

Instead, Dean slammed his hand down on the car’s center console before yelling back, “It was just a damn question!” Felix was sure he had never heard Dean really yell before. It was strange. Felix was usually the angry one while Dean was usually the cool voice of reason. Relief probably wasn’t the right word, but it sure as fuck lowered the tension in the car noticeably when the momentary flare-up of rage from Dean faded, and he slumped back in his chair and once again stared out at the darkness beyond the windshield. When he spoke none of the anger was there. He sounded like Dean in a hollowed-out sort of way that was just as bad as the anger just in a very different way. “You could have just said no.”

Felix sat back in his own seat and stared out the window at the darkness hoping it would be easier. It didn’t help if the tears Felix could feel welling up in his eyes were any indication. “And what if I said yes?” He asked in a broken whisper that communicated his vulnerability far more than he liked.

The car fell into an unnatural silence which had to be a bad thing. Felix could feel Dean staring at him. He shouldn’t have said anything, even if staying quiet felt like having his heart ripped out, he should have kept his mouth shut. Felix kept his eyes locked on the darkness outside the passenger window waiting for Dean to tell him to get the fuck out of his car or whatever. When Dean did finally speak, it was nothing like Felix had expected, like he had been prepared for. Dean didn’t shout or sound disgusted. Just the opposite, his words were spoken softly and with genuine curiosity, “Is the answer yes?”

It was probably a sign of how fucked up he was, but Felix would have preferred it if Dean was an asshole about it. At least then Felix would have had a chance of getting past it. He turned to glare at the blonde wishing he could hate his perfect fucking face, but he couldn’t. He had already made the mistake of being honest once (sort of) he wasn’t going to do that again. “I swear to fucking god if you don’t start the fucking car right now I’m getting out and walking,” he declared flatly.

“We’re at least ten miles from your house,” Dean pointed out with a cocky grin. It was a rare expression for him, Dean wasn’t normally the cocky type, but Felix had seen the expression on him a few times. He fucking hated it! He hated how it always made him want to kiss it away, so he could find out if Dean’s lips tasted as good as they looked. Dean, unaware of the inner turmoil he had thrown Felix into with a fucking look (nothing new there), gestured with a sweeping hand toward the windshield with confidence. “Have fun with that”

Felix might have considered getting out and walking just to spite Dean’s cocky ass if ten miles wasn’t a massive understatement, he wasn’t still pretty impressively drunk, and his eye didn’t still hurt like a fucking bitch. Dean got to call his bluff, and all Felix could do was sit there and fucking pout. “Dick,” he grumbled in a piss poor attempt to save his ever-dwindling dignity.

“Dude, you act like I’m going to judge you,” Dean commented as he leaned forward on the car’s center console, closing some of the distance between them. Felix really wished he hadn’t done that, he could see the compassion and concern in Dean blue eyes. He didn’t want to be the focus of that kind of emotion. It was a half a step from pity, and Felix couldn’t fucking stand the thought of Dean pitying him. “Seriously, I’m not.”

No, Dean wouldn’t judge him he would do something worse. He would say everything was fine. He would sit their with his compassion and concern and tell Felix he didn’t feel the same way but that they could still be friends. And knowing Dean he would probably fucking try to stay true to his word, but things would be fucking weird. They would both feel it and then after a little while they just wouldn’t hang out anymore. The most fuck up thing about it was it would probably be Felix that had to cut ties because Dean was too nice of a guy to do it.

It was too much. It was all too much- the conversation, thinking about Dean not being around, Felix’s throbbing fucking eye- it was too fucking much, and Felix was still too fucking drunk to deal with any of it.

Felix had just snapped before he was sure. What fucking teenager hadn’t completely lost their cool at least once before? But this was the first time he actually felt it like a cord somewhere deep in his gut breaking.

“I don’t know how I feel!” The words came out of him like a gunshot. Felix almost wanted to laugh because even in this moment of honesty he was still lying. He knew how he felt with Dean, how he felt about those feelings was a little less clear, but he knew how he felt. His feeling for Dean might have been the one fact about his exist he was actually sure about at this point. “And even if I did, it doesn’t fucking matter! You’re not... I’m not….neither of us are gay!”

 That should have done it, Felix was fucking sure of it. He expected to turn toward Dean to find the blonde shrinking back in the face of that, but that wasn’t what he got by a long shot. Instead of shrinking back Dean was staring at him, and he didn’t look repulsed or anything. Felix didn’t actually know what to call the look Dean was wearing. It was close to curious but wasn’t quite. It wasn’t what Felix had expected, and he had no fucking clue what it meant or how he was supposed fucking deal with it.

 _Why couldn’t Dean react like a normal fucking person?_ “Why the fuck are you staring at me?”

“I’m not staring,” Dean denied quickly with a little shake of his head as he continued to fucking stare.

“Yes, you are!” Felix shouted back. Dean denying something Felix could see with his own fucking eyes was insulting enough, but now Dean was smiling too.

 _What the actual fuck_? Were they having two different conversations? “And now you’re sort of smiling, it’s fucking creepy.”

Dean laughed, like an actual, sincere, musical fucking laugh. One of those laughs Felix hated from Dean because he liked it so fucking much. “Felix,” Dean didn’t sound mocking as he said his name, but he had to be, right? How the fuck else was this shit funny? “I’m going to need you to shut up for a second.”

“Fuck you!” Felix shouted back. What the fuck did Dean even think? Felix was going to keep his mouth shut, so Dean could mock him or laugh at him or whatever. Fuck that!

Felix was too much in his head to notice the was Dean shifted forward in his seat. He didn’t even notice Dean reach out until he felt warm calloused fingers graze the side of his neck. The touch was soft, almost tentative, yet Felix’s body still went stiff at the contact. He didn’t have time to think before the graze of fingers turned into Dean’s hand cradling the back of his neck, pulling him in. Felix sucked in a breath out of surprise or maybe to say something in protest or confusion. He didn’t even know, and then there were lips pressed against his own.

Dean’s lips.

A kiss.

Dean was kissing him.

It took Felix a second to comprehend what was happening, and a few more to accept it as reality. Dean Solace, the soccer fucking god (‘cause yeah, Dean was a better player than Will and Felix would fight anyone on that). Dean Solace, the fucking gorgeous blond that had him questioning his sexuality. Dean Solace, his best friend, that _Dean Solace_ was kissing him.

Even as he realized it Felix didn’t actually believe it was actually happening. He had thought about kissing Dean plenty of times, but he didn’t actually think it would _happen_. Luckily, he apparently didn’t need to believe it was a reality to respond.

He lips moved against Dean’s, and it was nothing like Felix had imagined. For one, he had never pictured Dean tasting like stall beer, but he did at the moment. For another, Felix always imagined that if it did happen Dean wouldn’t be an active participant. Even Felix’s stupid fantasies tended to error on the side of realism so when he imagined kissing Dean it was always like he himself just gave in to everything he was feeling and kissed Dean taking the guy by surprise. That wasn’t what was happening, Dean was kissing him.

Dean was kissing him.

Like an exercise in fucking denial, Felix had often tried to imagine that Dean was a bad kisser (despite the rumors he heard to the contrary). When that failed he had tried to imagine that there would be no chemistry between them. That the attraction he felt toward Dean was just his fucked up brain’s fucked up way of handling having a real friend. He had been so fucking wrong.

Dean was a take-your-breath-away amazing kisser. He was commanding without being aggressive. Every motion had Felix wanting to follow his lead. Like a tidal wave Felix’s mind was overrun with all the desires that he had never before dare give names. He wanted to kiss Dean hard, run his fingers through the blonde’s hair, to be pressed impossibly close to Dean. Felix kissed back matching Dean’s passion and holding the more demanding of his desires at bay. He didn’t want to come across over eager and ruin the moment. And fuck was there ever chemistry. Kissing Dean was like a shot of adrenaline. It was like waking up. It was everything Felix had hoped and feared it would be.

It was far from a brief kiss, but all Felix could think as Dean pulled away slowly, his fingers lingering on Felix’s skin, was that it had been too short. He had took in a breath in an attempt to find solid ground, but between the booze that was still working its way through his system and the excitement of what was happening left him feeling lightheaded. He just managed to open his eyes to find Dean’s eyes on him like he was searching Felix’s expression for…. something.

Felix didn’t want to, but the first clear thought he had was that it was some kind of joke. Dean was just fucking with him. Maybe Will had told Dean what happened between them after all, and this was Dean’s (rightful) revenge. That wasn’t even Dean, but the thought hurt, and Felix wasn’t great with that type of shit. He handled that fear and panic the same way he handled all the other shit he was too weak to just deal with. He pretended to be angry because angry was always better, safer, than letting people see he was vulnerable. “Why the fuck did you do that?”

Dean smirked (he fucking smirked) and tilted his head to one side in the cute fucking way he did when he thought something was obvious or amusing. Felix fucking hated it when he did that shit. It somehow managed to make him look hotter. “Because I wanted to,” Dean answered with amusement.

Fuck the smirk on Dean’s cute fucking facing. Fuck him if this was some sort of joke, and fuck him if it wasn’t. It was easy for Dean to find this shit amusing. He didn’t have anything to lose but Felix fucking did. “Is this supposed to be funny?” Felix questioned pulling back in his seat to put even a few more inches of distance. It shouldn’t have mattered, but even such miniscule distance between them made it a little easier to think. Felix just needed to fucking think.

Dean blinked but didn’t back off because of course fucking not. He was Dean, after all, when everyone else would have backed down or wrote Felix off as a confrontational asshole he stuck around. Dean seemed to recognize it for the defense mechanism it was. Felix should have hated him for that, but he didn’t. Not even a little bit. Felix watched Dean’s smirk turn into a genuine smile as he leaned over the center console enough to close any distance Felix had managed to gain and asked, “Do I look like I’m joking?”

“Honestly?” Felix questioned. He couldn’t even muster false anger anymore. Dean leaned in, and all the pretense stripped away. Felix felt more vulnerable that he had ever been before. The car was too small (why the fuck did a giant like Dean drive a tiny fucking Honda?), and the way Dean was looking at him with too much sincerity. None of his normal defenses, his walls, seemed to want to come into place, leaving Felix feeling exposed. “I don’t know,” he admitted hating himself for sounding so meek.

Dean’s eyebrows knotted together, and he actually leaned back a little. Well, there was the distance Felix had thought he wanted so why did it fucking hurt? “Felix?” Dean questioned, and _fuck_ Felix had never heard his name sound like that.

 _Fuck, this is all too real_ , Felix thought before turning to look out the passenger side window. Staring out into the darkness of whatever decrepit old field they had broken down next to was safer than looking at Dean. “Dude, just take me home,” he ordered quietly.

_This night just needed to be over._

The only thing Felix wanted to hear was Dean’s piece of shit car turning over, but he didn’t get it instead Dean laughed. It seriously felt like they were having two very different conversations. “Felix,” Dean’s hand came to rest on Felix’s leg as he spoke. His hand wasn’t near Felix’s knee either. Instead, it was pretty high up on his thigh, like no more than an inch or two from dick. Between that and the heat of Dean’s touch which Felix could feel even through his jeans made it hard to think. _What the fuck is going on? What backward ass Twilight Zone episode was he in right now?_ “Stop getting in your own way,” Dean spoke with ease, like it was just so fucking simple.

“And what happens when you change your mind in the morning?” Felix questioned turning away from the comfortable darkness and looking back to Dean. It was too late to think he was going to be able to walk away from this without having to lay all his insecurities out to bare. “Unlike you, I don’t have a lot of options for replacement friends.”

_Understatement of the fucking century._

Dean was grinning at him again which he really had to stop because it should have been annoying, but it was just sort of hot, and his fucking hand was still on Felix’s thigh making thinking really fucking difficult. “Dude, you’re a fucking idiot,” Dean declared as he shook his head slightly like Felix didn’t know what he was saying. Before he could tell Dean to fuck off Dean leaned in and once again kissed him.

Felix shouldn’t have, if no other reason than to save face, but he kissed back eagerly. It wasn’t like the first one, although it was just as good, just more brief. When Dean pulled away he stayed close enough that Felix could still feel his breath and the heat of his skin. “That’s not going to happen,” Dean assured softly.

Felix wanted to question it. How could Dean really mean that? How could he even know how he felt or what he would want the next day? If he was half as drunk as Felix, there was no fucking way. He should have questioned it if he wanted a chance for them to go back to being friends again.

_Fuck it._

Felix let his want, six months of desire and repressed sexual tension, win over logic. He leaned in, meeting Dean over the car’s center console and pressed his lips against Dean’s. He should have held back his hunger, but he didn’t. If he was going light the only real friendship he had ever had on fire he was going to make it worth it. He kissed Dean with everything he had. He kissed Dean like he had only dared to imagine late at night when he was too tired to stop himself from such dangerous thoughts.

And fuck did Dean kiss him back. His lips were firm and demanding, his tongue teasing at the seal of Felix’s lips, and the hint of teeth. Dean hand once again ended up on the back of Felix’s neck. He could feel Dean’s fingers curling and gripping at the short hairs at the base of his skull. Felix felt Dean’s other hand grip on his bicep urging him forward.

Felix waited to be closer, to feel more. The place where he could feel Dean’s skin on his was warm and almost electric, he wanted more. Thanks to the alcohol Felix wasn’t exactly at his most graceful, but he still managed to grasp a clump of Dean’s t-shirt in his fist. He only barely managed to resist the urge to rip the fabric just, so he could run his hand over Dean’s perfectly sculpted chest.

Yeah, he knew for a fact that Dean had a fucking perfect body. As much as Felix had tried not to look, the locker room wasn’t that big, and Dean took forever to put his fucking shirt on. Felix had seen enough to make it easy to conjure up a mental image for whatever purpose.

God, Dean’s car was fucking hot and every nerve ending of his being was lit up in ways Felix sure as hell hadn’t experienced before. As new as it was, Dean didn’t kiss him like it was some awkward first kiss, or make out session, or whatever. In that way it didn’t feel new at all, it was like they had done this plenty of times before and not just in Felix’s dreams.

Just as Felix tried to pull Dean in, he could feel Dean trying to pull him closer. Felix never thought it would be so difficult to get close in Dean’s car which was the automotive equivalent of a tin can. After so long of wanting Dean and thinking he would never get that Felix probably should have been able to handle a little frustration, but he really fucking couldn’t. He tried harder to move closer, to pull Dean closer, not that it did much good.

Felix lost all sense of time for the second time that night although this time was for a much better reason. Dean’s lips were like a drug, and a hell of a lot better than any of the shit Felix had done back in Vermont. Dean really knew what the fuck he was doing with his lips and his fucking tongue. When Dean pulled back Felix felt dizzy and breathless. “This fucking center console is my _least_ favorite thing right now,” Dean muttered as he leaned in again.

This time Dean’s lips landed on Felix’s jawline. Felix wouldn’t have been able to hold in the sigh that escaped him even if he tried. It wasn’t fair the slightest of touches from Dean’s lips could ignite fireworks in Felix’s skin and light a fire deep in his core. He felt the smirk spreading across his face before he even recognized how goddamned giddy he felt. Happy had become such a rare sensation Felix almost didn’t recognize it.

“I think this is the first time I have heard you complain about your car,” Felix teased as he lavished in the sensation of Dean kissing along the length of his jaw and toward his ear.

Dean would often tease Felix that he talked too much. Usually, Dean followed it up by saying something like that was what made Felix interesting. Felix usually had a hard time hearing the second part as the first hit on one of Felix’s deepest fears. The fact that he just had to make some comment and Dean stopped kissing him only seemed to confirm his fears. He really needed to learn to keep his mouth shut.

“Dude, I love my car, but it’s currently getting in the way of important things,” Dean replied with a bright smile.

Thing was, Felix had always equated Dean with a strange kind of purity. It probably had to do with the fact that Dean was just always so fucking sincere even when everyone else would lie when it would have been easier to just fake nice. Felix knew that just because Dean was sincere and more straight-laced then any of his former so-called friends that didn’t make him innocent. The school was small and even if Dean didn’t talk (which he did) Felix heard the whispers. Still, that just hadn’t been the Dean Felix had known until that very moment because the look in his eyes was so far from innocent it was practically pornographic.

_Fuck!_

Felix managed to swallow down the whimper that nearly escaped him. Being on the receiving end of that look was something he just wasn’t prepared for. He ran his tongue over his own lips as he tried to remember what words were. He tasted the memory of Dean on his lips which really didn’t help. He managed to pull in a shuttered breath as all he could think was that he wanted _more_. “Right now, you’re getting in the way of important things,” Felix retorted with more bravado than he had thought he would ever be able to manage with Dean.

Dean smirked, and Felix transcended to a whole new and previously unexperienced level of screwed. Felix knew without a doubt that Dean could ask him to do _anything_ , and Felix would do it without question. As he felt Dean’s hand come to rest on the back of his neck again the only thing that assured him that his heart hadn’t literally stopped was the fact that he could hear the blood pumping in his ears. “I guess I should shut up and get to it then.”

 _Cocky bastard_. Felix didn’t get a chance to say snip back at Dean like he normally would have before Dean pulled him in and they were kissing again. Their typical banter had a way of being entertaining but actually kissing Dean was so much better.

Dean was such a fucking good kisser and his hands, the one that wasn’t resting on the back of Felix’s neck, didn’t say stationed on Felix’s arm this time. Instead, it roamed over Felix’s shoulder, arm, and chest possessively. Felix had never been touched like that before, so greedily. His only real girlfriend had been sort of sheepish when it came to the physical stuff, so Felix was always the more aggressive one. It probably should have been emasculating to let Dean take the lead like that, but it had Felix so turned on he could barely fucking thinking.

Felix shifted in his too small seat doing anything he could to allow Dean more access to his body. They kissed and pawed at each other as Felix shifted and then shifted again. Dean’s car was too small and too hot, and Felix fucking hated that center console with a fire-y passion of a thousand suns.

Dean’s firm grip kept pulling him in, and Felix had no desire to fight it. Time had no meaning as they kissed. Felix reached out toward the tiny car’s dashboard blindly searching for a handhold as he barely resisted the urge to crawl into Dean’s lap. The harsh blast of the horn was so unexpected and so surprising Felix practically jumped out of his skin before he realized in his blind fumblings he had grabbed the steering wheel instead of the dash. He must have honked the horn.

“Fuck,” Felix hissed involuntarily as he pulled back in his seat putting some distance between himself and Dean as his heart pounded for a very different reason than a moment before. He had honked the car’s stupid fucking horn. If that didn’t perfectly represent Felix’s luck, he didn’t know what did.

Felix pulled his eyes away from the treasonous steering wheel and looked to Dean with the intent of apologizing until he saw the blonde’s face. Dean’s face was red, and while Felix had confidence in his abilities when it came to kissing he had no doubt that his abilities had nothing to do with it. Dean’s whole body was practically shaking with barely contained laughter, and the car really was small, so the little snickers didn’t go unheard either. “Are you seriously laughing?” Felix questioned with as much annoyance as he could muster considering he still felt high off Dean’s lips.

“Dude, you just honked the horn,” Dean pointed out rather unnecessarily. Felix was well-fucking-aware that he had honked the car’s fucking horn. It was probably going on his list of most embarrassing life experiences. The fact that Dean seemed to think it was funny wasn’t making him feel much better. “That’s hilarious.”

Maybe it was hilarious to Dean but outside of the embarrassment, it made Felix uneasy. He probably should have just laughed it off, but he couldn’t. “What if someone…” Felix looked around at the darkness that surrounded Dean’s car. It was probably so fucking stupid, but ever since he had realized he was attracted to Dean he had been a kind of nervous. It wasn’t about wanting to blow his best friend thing, either. They lived in the fucking south, the place wasn’t exactly known for being fucking accepting homosexuality. “I don’t know, heard it?”

Dean stopped laughing which was a plus, but he didn’t look particularly worried either which was a little annoying. “It’s New Year’s Eve, and this is literally the middle of fucking nowhere,” he pointed out which was factually true but didn’t make Felix feel any better. “But I guess if someone came to investigate they would find us going at it in a broke down car on the side of a deserted road,” Dean smirked and started leaning across the car’s center console. Felix didn’t even realize he had started to relax in his seat until Dean’s hand landed on his chest and his fingers curled around the fabric of Felix’s t-shirt. “I’m sure it’s not the first time something like that has happened.”

Felix seriously fucking doubted that it was commonplace in rural-as-fuck Tennessee to find two teenage guys in a car groping at each other like it was their last night on earth but arguing that point didn’t seem like a top priority at that moment. Dean’s grip was pulling him in and fuck Felix didn’t have any desire to resist.

Felix really wished he hadn’t drunk so much because kissing Dean was fucking incredible and could only be better if he was fucking sober. As they kissed Dean didn’t release his grip on Felix’s shirt like he was afraid that Felix was going to pull away or some shit. If Dean actually thought that, he was a fucking moron because there wasn’t anywhere Felix would rather be or anything he would rather be doing.

He was more than happy to demonstrate just how fucking much he wanted to be there even if he ended up coming off eager. He ran his hand up Dean’s arm, over his shoulder, and tangled his fingers in Dean’s hair, his short nails brushing against Dean’s scalp. It wasn’t enough to hurt, but apparently, it was enough to make Dean gasp in the hottest way fucking possible.

_Holy fuck!_

Felix had to fight down the urge to just crawl over the car’s stupid fucking center console and into Dean lap. It would have been hot as fuck, and he would have been able to touch Dean and be touched by Dean all over, but even drunk Felix thought that would come across a little slutty.

He settled for trying to get closer without climbing into Dean’s lap. One hand still tangled in Dean’s hair, he reached out with the other to find something to hold on to. This time he was careful to avoid the steering wheel because he wasn’t fucking dealing with accidentally honking the horn again. The cool plastic under his fingers gave him the general impression he had managed to grab hold of the dashboard, but Felix wasn’t going to stop kissing Dean to check. _Fuck that!_

Felix pushed up a little in his seat and tried to lean across the car to get a little closer to Dean. That turned out to be a horrible fucking idea because the center console of Dean’s shitty Honda was at the perfect height to hit him in the dick when he tried to lean over to the driver’s seat. Normally, that would have been a problem but considering this whole frustratingly hot make-out session already had him sporting a hard-on that just wasn’t going to work.

He tried to ignore the discomfort, he tried to shift his position, but nothing helped. After a few seconds, he pulled back and hissed, “Fuck this center console.”

Dean let out an amused sound as their eyes meet. Everything Felix was feeling he saw reflected in Dean’s intense blue eyes which seemed almost surreal. He had never once considered in all the months that he had struggled with his attraction toward Dean. It had never occurred to them that Dean could ever feel the same way.

As their eyes remained locked Felix noticed Dean absently run his tongue over his bottom lip. _Fuck!_

“We should just move to the backseat,” Felix suggested without even thinking about it.

Actually, when he first heard the words part of Felix thought for sure that someone else had spoken them. There was just no way it could have been him, especially said with such confidence, but it was obviously his voice.

 _What the actual fuck_ , Felix thought frustrated with himself as a wave of new and contradictory emotions washed over him. Dean was fucking hot, and yeah Felix wanted him but losing his virginity in the backseat of Dean’s broken-down Honda sitting on the side of the road where anyone could find them at any second wasn’t exactly how Felix had pictured it happening. The fact that the idea of losing his virginity at all had him a little nervous was annoyed. He wasn’t a fucking chick so that shit didn’t fucking matter. Nervous or not, Felix knew if it came to it he wasn’t going to be the one to put the brakes on either.

Dean was silent for longer than Felix even realized as he seemed to actually consider it. _Was this actually happening_ , Felix wondered his nerves quickly being replaced by anticipation. _This is fucking happening._

Dean broke the silence with a disappointed sigh as he slid back into his seat and turned so he was staring out the front windshield of the car. “That is tempting,” he admitted as Felix watched him drag the fingers of his right hand through his hair roughly. He let out another sigh, and this time it was different but very familiar. It was the same sigh he had heard a million times when they were lab partners in biology. It was a clear sign of frustration without the blonde having to say a word. “But I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” he stated without turning to meet Felix’s gaze.

“Right,” Felix replied as he slid back into his own seat and unintentionally moved to mirror Dean’s position in the driver’s seat. He was fucking mad at himself for getting nervous, for think something was going to happen, for wanting something to happen, for even fucking suggesting it, but his words just came out bitter. “Yeah, whatever.”

“No, Felix, it’s not like that,” Dean was quick to state assuredly. Felix hadn’t noticed the movement because he had been too busy pouting like a fucking five-year-old despite himself, but Dean’s hand came to rest on his leg. It was far enough up Felix’s leg that Felix wanted to call mixed-fucking-messages because _what-the-actual-fuck_. “It’s just we’re both half in the bag,” he explained almost frantically. “Well, I’m like an eighth in the bag, and you’re like three fourths in the bag, but the principle is the same.”

Dean’s hand didn’t fucking move which probably seriously negatively impacted Felix’s ability to comprehend fucking English, but boy he fucking tried. Still, he didn’t get what Dean was getting at. Dean might not have been as wild as any of Felix’s friends back in Vermont, but he still far from being some straight-laced nerd either. Felix couldn’t imagine this was the first time Dean was hooking up with someone after a few beers. “And what principle is that?”

“I…..I just don’t make major life decision while I’m drunk.” Dean explained with a heavy sigh. He looked fucking pained as he said it. If Felix didn’t fucking know better, he would have sworn someone had a gun to Dean’s fucking head which was adding to the whole mixed message issue. “I’ve just seen that shit backfire on people too many fucking times to make that mistake,” he was quick to justify himself, “It’s like a personal rule.”

 _God fucking damn it_! Of course, Dean would have some personal fucking rule that would get in the fucking way. It sounded like the type of thing Dean would totally stand by too. He was just that type of guy, and Felix couldn’t even be pissed about it because that was one of the things Felix liked about him.

He couldn’t be pissed, but he could call bullshit because the more he thought about it the more it made no fucking sense. “Making out with me doesn’t count as a major life decision?”

“Absolutely,” Dean replied with a grin. He shifted in his seat, so he was looking at Felix straight on. The motion moved Dean’s hand from Felix’s leg, but the warmth of his hand continued to linger and was almost as distracting as his fucking hand, Felix swore to fucking god. “But I thought on that for a while.”

Felix really wished he was even ten percent less drunk, so he could trust what he was fucking hearing. There was just no way Dean had just admitted to thinking about making out with him in the most casual way fucking possible. There was just no fucking way. “Really?”

“I mean, yeah,” Dean shrugged as he suddenly avoided eye contact. Even in the dark with Dean looking down Felix could still make out the blush that colored Dean’s cheeks. “I don’t know. After Nico had said he thought you had a thing for me I thought about a lot of stuff.”

That made no fucking sense. Felix couldn’t make sense of Dean’s words. They were English and everything, and Dean was coherent, but he couldn’t actually mean what he said. He was Dean fucking Solace, why the fuck would he think about Felix that way?

He blinked hard a few times hoping Dean would say something, so he wouldn’t have to figure out what to say. No fucking luck, Dean just continued to look down and blush in the cutest fucking way possible. Felix just couldn’t handle another stretch of awkward silence, so he voiced the only thought he had, “Why?”

“Dude, for someone who mouths off as much as you do, you aren’t all that self-assured,” Dean replied apparently over his embarrassment or whatever as he looked up once again grinning like Felix had seen a million times before. It shouldn’t have still had the effects it did Felix but fuck his heart practically skipped a beat. “Maybe you should invest in a mirror.”

Felix actually looked down like he was trying to see himself before his stupid drunk brain realized he wouldn’t actually be able to see himself. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You really need me to spell it out?” Dean questioned incredulously. “You can’t tell me you don’t know you're fucking hot,” Dean dismissed as he took on a more casual position in the driver seat.

 _WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK!_ Felix practically screamed on the inside. Dean had just called him hot. Felix had never imagined that Dean would ever think, let alone say, anything like that. His complete shock must have read on his face because Dean gave him a curious look. “Why are you staring at me?”

“I’m not staring,” Felix replied although he was one-hundred-percent sure he was, in fact, staring like a fucking asshole. “I’m just trying to figure out if I’m suffering auditory hallucinations.”

Dean laughed. “You’re not, and you could just say thank you.”

Maybe Will had knocked him out, and he was having some weird ass dream where the one person he wanted him back but for some fucking reason, they still weren’t having sex. That sounded like the fucked-up sort of shit that would happen to Felix.

Dean was staring at him with his bright blue eyes and it was intimated. He had to say something, so he grumbled, “Thanks, I guess.”

“See? That wasn’t so hard now was it?” Dean teased like he always did when it came to shit like manners because he was _such_ a southern gentleman.

With a smile plastered across his face, Dean leaned forward and turned the key in the ignition. By some fucking miracle the car’s engine actually turned over. All the lights on the dash came to life including the check engine light, but Felix wasn’t going to point that shit out. He also wasn’t going to point out that the engine was still making that weird fucking clicking sound as it idled either.

“That’s my girl,” Dean cooed as he literally petted the steering wheel of the car with affection that really should have been reserved from like pets.

“Wow,” Felix whistled. Dean loved his car more than Felix had ever seen anyone love their car especially considering his car was the biggest pile of shit but petting the thing was a new one even for Dean. “I went from being flattered to feeling like I should be jealous of your car,” he joked. “Do you two need a minute ‘cause I can go,” he jutted his thumb toward the window of the car to punctuate his point.

They always joked around about shit like that, and Dean would always respond by telling him to fuck off or cut the shit or just shove Felix playful. That was pretty much their fucking thing at this fucking point. Felix didn’t have to think about it to fall into the pattern of behavior, and he expected Dean to do the same thing as usual. Dean’s response was not his usual response, but Felix couldn’t complain because without warning he leaned across the center console, grabbed Felix by the collar of his t-shirt, pulled him in, and kissed him _hard_.

The kiss was hot and way too fucking short. Felix actually sighed when Dean pulled away, releasing his shirt as he did. When his eyes fluttered open, he watched Dean sliding back in his seat with the cockiest fucking grin on his face. “Look at that,” Dean declared with too much fucking pride. “I finally found a way to stop you from being a smart ass.”

“Dick!” Felix hissed back trying to sound pissed but couldn’t manage it. He still reached out and smacked Dean on the chest just to prove his point. “And don’t flatter yourself, dude. Nothing can stop me from being a smart ass. It’s my natural state of being,” he grumbled as he eased back in his seat. He should have probably been panicking about the whole thing, but Felix just didn’t feel it. Maybe it was the booze numbing his system or maybe it was just Dean’s general chill vibe, but he just didn’t feel it. “You’re a momentary distraction at best.”

“I’ll take it,” Dean shrugged before he shifted the car into drive and pulled back onto the road.

It was only a five-minute drive back to Felix’s house, and Dean’s car managed the rest of the trip without another breakdown fortunately, or unfortunately depending on how Felix wanted to look at it. The ride was so fucking normal it was fucking bizarre. The bits of awkward silence that plagued the ride before the breakdown where non-fucking-existent now. Dean was still a crazy fucking driver, and if Felix had been sober, it probably would have scared the shit out of him, but that wasn’t new. The only thing that sucked was now that he and Dean weren’t making out like the horny teenagers they both were, Felix’s eye was fucking killing him.

Dean pulled into Felix’s empty driveway and shifted the car into park. Felix looked over to Dean sitting in the driver seat. “I’d say you could come in, but I guess you have that stupid fucking personal rule, so you’d say no.”

“You know me so fucking well,” Dean replied. Felix didn’t get how he could look so fucking disappointed while being his own cockblock but whatever. Felix pushed open the passenger side door open and moved to step out. Before he could get more than a leg out the door Dean reached out and caught him by the hand. “If you have to got to the doctor or hospital or whatever for your eye tomorrow, give me a call,” he stated with evident concern in his voice.

“I’m fucking fine dude,” Felix replied insistently although the dull throb in his eye was practically calling him a liar. Dean just looked so genuinely fucking concerned, Felix didn’t know how to fucking to handle that. “But yeah, alright. I’ll talk to you tomorrow or whatever.”

“Alright, see ya dude,” Dean replied casually although he clearly was still concerned.

Felix climbed out of the car and gave a quick wave before heading into the house. It took everything in him not to turn and watch Dean pulling out of the driveway. In the house, he headed straight to the kitchen for an ice pack for his damn eye and water. With the cool of the ice pack pushing through the fog of pain and drunkenness.

Felix knew he would have to call Dean in the morning. He had to be the one to tell Dean about how fucking stupid he had acted with Will. That was going to suck, but Felix really thought things could be good between them.

Maybe the night wasn’t so bad after all.


	31. Parental Advice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Hump Day y'all!
> 
> I'm managing to get this up before I even go to work. I am totally on fire!
> 
> Okay, so this chapter is pretty much Dean and Felix related- if you aren't into the Delix stuff just skip it, you won't be missing anything you care about. If you are into Delix, enjoy.
> 
> Also, and I realize this right now, but this is the first time that I'm putting out anything with more than a few lines of dialogue from Dean's dad (John). He's a fun character so I hope you enjoy!

Dean had been awake for what felt like hours. The green digits ablaze across the screen of his alarm clock indicated it was almost one, and Dean had barely moved except to stare up at the yellowing tiles of the ceiling above him.

Occasionally his phone on the nightstand buzzed offering a break in the monotony and making Dean’s stomach drop. The sounds came less frequently today than they had the day before when they had seemed almost constant. He had actually tried to read the first few texts that had come in.

Most had been calls or texts from Will, checking in to see if Dean was “okay”. Dean was far from okay, but weirdly that had little to do with the fact that Will had just informed him that Dean’s lifetime of being an atheist had been misguided. He could have probably just answered the phone, and told Will he was fine, but he didn’t want to. Maybe he was even less okay then he was telling himself he was.

Felix had texted once. If Dean didn’t know better, it would have read like any other text message he had gotten from Felix since they had met. It read along the lines of his eye was swollen but fine. There was a snarky comment about Dean worrying too much in there too before concluding with a casual comment that they should hang out if Dean wanted. Dean had probably composed a million different responses to that one text but couldn’t manage to hit the send button on a single one. After a while, he gave up trying and switched his phone to vibrate, too cowardly to just shut it off entirely, and deposited it on his nightstand not to look at it again.

Over time the occasional vibration of his phone had become background noise as Dean seriously considered staying in bed all day. He would have said he wanted to sleep the day away, but that would have only brought Monday faster. There was no day Dean had ever dreaded more than that Monday.

Monday meant he couldn’t avoid all the things he didn’t want to think about. He would have to see Felix, the thought of which made his stomach roll. It filled him with anger, and regret, and loss, and other emotions Dean couldn’t name. He just wasn’t ready for that, and he doubted he ever could be, but he didn’t really have a choice. Still, he was fine with putting it off as long as he could manage.

He could have probably laid in bed staring at the ceiling contemplating how truly fucked his life was all day, but his miserable silence began to be interrupted by noises coming from somewhere else in the tiny house. Dean grew up with a musician as a parent, as such he was well practiced at ignoring noises no matter what the hour. So that’s what he did, at first at least, he ignored it. Unfortunately, it just seemed to get louder and more persistent until he couldn’t take it another second.

He grumbled to himself as he climbed out of bed, pulled on the first pieces of clothing he could find on his floor. Dressed in sweats and a t-shirt with one too many holes to be acceptable for public wear, Dean stormed out of his room and down the small hallway toward the source of the sound.

The house was really no more than two bedrooms and a bathroom attached to a tiny kitchen and an even smaller living room. It wasn’t exactly a challenge to find the source of the noise. Dean found his father in the kitchen pulling open cupboards and banging around with the contents before shutting it and moving on to the next cabinet.

Dean leaned against the doorway and watched for a few seconds unnoticed. His father had spent most of his nights since he was younger than Dean in small bars or small rooms playing loud music, so Dean was pretty sure John was half-deaf. Dean could have probably stood there for hours and not have been noticed.

John was onto the third or fourth cabinet when Dean’s annoyance won out, and he spoke “What are you doing?” he questioned as he bit back the urge to point out that the one thing John was obviously doing was making a mess.

His dad stopped the ransacking of their kitchen, let the door to the cupboard fall close with a loud thud, and turned. “Oh, hey kiddo, you’re up!” John exclaimed as he leaned against the counter.

From the heavy bags under his eyes it looked like John was the one in need of a day in bed. New Year’s Eve weekend was always a good one for work if you were a musician. This year his dad had three gigs at various bars between their house and Nashville in the last three days, and only got back the day before. Dean was sure the gigs weren’t the only cause of his father’s visible sleep deprivation, but that wasn’t a fight worth having.

“Got to admit, I was starting to worry,” his father offered with an easy smile. John always had an easy smile, so Dean should have been used to it. Normally it didn’t bother him, but this morning he just found it irritating. “I can’t remember the last time you slept past noon.”

That was a fair enough observation. Dean recognized himself for the stereotype he was. If allowed his father could easily sleep past sunset so Dean never let himself sleep in, not really, even when he wanted to. As such, it wasn’t hard to remember the last time he had even though it was a decade ago. “The flu I think, when I was seven,” Dean looked down at his feet, bare on the cheap and cracked linoleum. It was a strangely happy memory, and Dean wasn’t really in the headspace for happy, but he kept talking anyway, “Uncle Bobby brought home ice cream, and we had sundaes for dinner.”

 _Oh, because my life isn’t complicated enough_ , Dean chastised himself as soon as the words left his mouth.

Dean didn’t actually have an uncle, at least as far as he knew. Since both his dad and Aunt Naomi never spoke about the rest of the Solace family he could never really be sure, but it didn’t really matter anyways. Bobby had been a friend of his dad’s that had lived with them for a long while when Dean was young. John and Bobby had had a falling out at some point, and Dean had been too young to really remember why. He just remembered being upset when Uncle Bobby moved out and didn’t come around anymore. Considering his father’s lifestyle and wealth of bad habits it wasn’t uncommon for John to have falling outs with friends, but whatever had caused that one must have been especially shitty because usually the name alone would cause John to get abnormally quiet. Even at a young age Dean recognized that it was an unsafe topic of conversation. So, over time Uncle Bobby had become one of those topics they just never spoke of like John’s drinking or Dean’s mother.

Some kind deity must have looked down at Dean at that moment and decided that he had enough shit on his plate. Considering that a few days earlier Dean hadn’t been sure he believed in any god at all it was a struggled to believe in a merciful one, but at the moment, he decided not to look that particular gift-horse in the mouth. His dad didn’t suddenly decide that he was in the mood for some day drinking and go for a beer in the fridge at the mention of the name. John didn’t even do that weird quiet thing he sometimes did that freaked Dean out more than the day drinking. It was a small victory, but at least it was a victory.

John seemed to think on the memory for a few seconds before smiling. “Damn, you remember that?” He questioned with a shake of his head. “I barely remember that,” he admitted as he reached for something out of sight on the kitchen counter and producing a coffee mug. He took a sip of the contents which Dean hoped was coffee and _just_ coffee before resting the cup back on the countertop. “It was strep not the flu, and for the record, I’m not a complete shit parent,” John declared. In Dean’s current mood he wanted to say that was arguable, but in truth, as fucked up as his father was, Dean never felt like John didn’t care. “The only reason we let you have ice cream for dinner was because it was all we could get you to eat without crying.”

Dean had forgotten that bit, but now that his dad mentioned it, it sounded about right. It was strange how hearing one forgotten detail had so much more of the memory flooding back to him. He remembered that dad hadn’t just let him eat ice cream for dinner, but he got to stay up late too. He had been sick, so Dean was sure that was a promise his younger self didn’t take advantage of, but still, at the time it had felt like an exciting promise. They had made a fort out of blankets and pillows and other random shit that Dean couldn’t remember and watched whatever Dean wanted on television. It really was a nice memory, but Dean also knew it could easily sour. He would rather wallow in the misery of his current problems rather than wonder at bothersome things that couldn’t be changed.

Dean pushed the childhood memory aside and forced himself to focus on the things in front of him. “So, what was all the banging about?” He questioned as he pointed toward the last cupboard his father had pillaged.

John wasn’t a stupid man. Dean had seen the evidence of that fact or he probably wouldn’t have believed it. His father had graduated top of his class in high school and could play at least a dozen instruments with professional skill before he had been old enough to drive. So, as he looked to where Dean had pointed slowly, Dean knew John was either still quite hungover or had already started day drinking. In the end, it was a toss up of which one of those scenarios was actually worse.

 _So much for a merciful deity on my side,_ Dean thought to himself rather bitterly.

When John turned back Dean could practically see the wheels turning into place before his dad came back with what Dean was pretty sure was the lamest lie in the history of lies. “I was thinking about making soup,” his dad offered. It was such a shitty lie Dean should have probably been offended, but he just couldn’t muster it. Besides his dad seemed to realize it sounded fucking stupid as soon as he said it, but instead of just trying the truth, John apparently decided to double down on the bullshit. “Feels like a good day to make soup,” he declared with way too much cheer. John gave a weak point toward one of the cabinets before adding, “Needed to find the kettle.”

Dean didn’t buy that shit for one second. Yeah, his dad cooked, and he was actually good at it, but Dean was pretty sure he had never seen him particularly excited about it. His dad was more likely to say fuck it, and suggest just ordering a pizza, especially since Dean had gotten old enough to cook for himself (and Aunt Naomi got off his back about how kids need a balanced diet). On a normal day, Dean probably would have called his dad out on it just for the simple fact that while their relationship was all sorts of maladaptive and fucked up, lying normally wasn’t part of it, but he honestly just didn’t have the energy.

“Bottom cupboard by the fridge,” Dean directed without enthusiasm, “Where it’s been since I can remember.”

“Probably should have looked there than,” his dad replied with ease although he made no move toward the cabinet Dean had indicated.

“Probably,” Dean agreed with more annoyance slipping into his voice. He just wanted to crawl back into bed and go back to hating his very existence while questioning everything he had ever thought he knew about himself or the world. Why was that so much to ask?

John didn’t move from where he leaned against the counter, and Dean didn’t move from the doorway. The silence stretched until it was awkward, and Dean wondered why he didn’t just go back to his room and ignore any other noise for the rest of the day. His dad finally broke the silence before Dean could act on that thought. “There’s coffee,” John informed as he pointed to their old-as-fucking-dirt coffee maker.

Dean may have wanted to crawl back in bed, but even he had to admit coffee did sound good. He just didn’t have the energy to exercise any sort of self-restraint. Considering his lack of fucking self-restraint was part of what had gotten him into this mess it was kind of pathetic, but Dean didn’t want to think about that too hard.

“Awesome,” he declared without enthusiasm before pushing off the doorframe and crossing the room. Part of him went on autopilot as he grabbed his coffee mug and the coffee pot.

 _Why had he kissed Felix?_ If Dean hadn’t, if he had just kept his mouth shut and drove Felix home there wouldn’t have been a problem. Sure, Will was still going to be pissed, but Dean knew better than getting involved in that shit.

 _Why did his car have to fucking stall_? The check engine light had been on off and on for at least the last four months. The thing had started stalling out randomly in like November or October, but Dean hadn’t had the money to get the thing looked at. Dean had known none of that was a sign of anything good, but he wasn’t like he could have fixed the problem. He knew absolutely nothing about cars. He had been meaning to swing by Uncle Bobby’s shop to see if he could take a look at it, but with soccer and school he just hadn’t had the time. It had only really stalled out a half a dozen times, so it hadn’t been too big of a problem. If it hadn’t fucking stalled, and he and Felix hadn’t been stuck on the side of the road like they had been Dean wouldn’t have worked up the nerve to even ask Felix about his crush.

 _Why did Nico have to say anything_? Dean liked Nico, sure, but it wasn’t like Nico had proof that Felix had a thing for Dean. It was just a stupid fucking theory. He could have just kept it to himself, and even if he was right, Dean probably never would have seen it. Hell, even after having a few… _unexpected_ physical reactions researching some of the gay sex stuff to be supportive (definitely not because he was curious, and just got more curious the more he learned), Dean hadn’t seen that he could be bisexual or whatever. Apparently, being oblivious was Dean’s superpower or something.

Black liquid splashed into his mug covering the brown coffee stains from the morning before, and the bitter smell of coffee filled the air. Dean forced his attention back to the present. Why didn’t matter, and he couldn’t change what happened. He filled his mug halfway before pausing to look over his shoulder at his dad who was still leaning against the counter. “Creamer?” Dean asked.

“All out,” John replied simply and without apology.

“Of fucking course,” Dean grumbled as he moved to fill his mug the rest of the way. He couldn’t even really be mad even though his dad had probably used the last of the creamer earlier without a second thought. That was one of the many fun things about growing up poor. Dean knew exactly how much he could go without before it became an actual issue. Yeah, sure, he definitely preferred a splash of cream in his coffee, but he could sip it black if he had to. Hell, if there was a roof over his head, food in the fridge, no more than two major bills past due, and they could still afford a luxury like coffee he could be downright content.

His mug filled to the brim, Dean jammed the coffee pot back on the hot plate before taking his mug in both hands. He turned and leaned against the counter, carefully ignoring how alike his stance was to that of his father’s.

Dean had been hearing just how much he looked like his dad since he could remember, and it wasn’t that he didn’t love his dad he just struggled to respect him most of the time. As he had gotten older Dean had wanted more and more to separate himself from his dad, make himself someone different. Unfortunately, as he got older he just looked more and more like John, and near eighteen years under the same roof, they shared more than a few habits and mannerisms. On a normal day, when Dean couldn’t ignore the similarities it was an annoyance, but this morning with everything else on his mind it felt like more. Dean didn’t want to give into his darker emotions, so he tried to push them back and play like they weren’t there at all.

Darker emotions felt like all Dean had at the moment, so he sipped his coffee and let the warmth filling his core be his only focus. He was too lost in his own thoughts to pay attention to how much time passed before his dad spoke, but it couldn’t have been long.

“So, kiddo,” John started with the same casual tone he always used when he was about to bring something up that was anything but casual. The last time Dean had heard it was a few weeks earlier when his dad dropped that he needed three hundred dollars or the electric was going to get shut off over dinner. John paused to sip his own coffee which was just even more infuriating than the tone. John actually seemed to lean harder on the edge of the counter, like standing was too much of a burden, as he spoke, “You want to tell me what’s going on or should I try to guess?”

_Fuck!_

“What do you mean?” Dean questioned with as much innocence as he could muster. He was probably as obvious as anyone could get. Unlike Will, Dean wasn’t a shit liar, but with his dad, he wasn’t used to having to lie at all.

John just arched an eyebrow at him as a clear show of doubt. “I _mean_ what’s causing this little bout of mellow dramatic teen depression you’ve had going on the last two days?”

It was a question. Dean recognized that, but it felt like an accusation. John normally didn’t really monitor Dean’s behavior, and even if he did, Dean was still on winter vacation so why the fuck did it matter?

“I’ve barely left my room in the past two days,” Dean pointed out more defensively than he really meant to, but he didn’t see why they had to talk about this. He just wanted to drink his coffee, crawl back into his bed, and wallow in his depression until he had to drag his ass out of bed the next morning to go to school. It may have been childish, but he didn’t think it was too much to ask.

His dad actually smirked which was such a dick move Dean wanted to call bullshit, but at least John tried to cover it by taking a sip of his own coffee. When he pulled his cup away from his mouth John’s response was less than sympathetic. “Kind of my point, Kiddo.”

“You sleep well past one all the time, and I don’t give you shit,” Dean pointed out forcefully. Considering this was the first day in a month Dean could remember his dad dragging his ass out of bed before a time that could be called early evening so saying John giving Dean shit on the topic was the pot calling the kettle black was an understatement. “But when I do it, it's teenage melodrama. How the fuck is that fair?”

“Life ain’t fair kiddo,” his dad replied like Dean wasn’t well fucking aware of that fact. John grabbed his coffee and pushed off the counter. Dean watched John pull out one of the cheap vinyl chairs that sat around their even cheaper kitchen table and dropped into it. “And when I sleep past one its because I was up late the night before working.”

“Does strumming a guitar for a couple of hours before getting blackout drunk really count as working?” Dean questioned.

Maybe his dad had a point with the melodrama comment because that was just petty. The blackout drunk thing wasn’t completely off the mark, but Dean knew it wasn’t like his dad didn’t work. Most people, even those with talents, couldn’t make any real money as a musician, but his dad managed to do well enough even considering the restraints. He probably could have been a guitarist or vocalist or some other shit for a big-name band, but Dean knew that when he had been born John had made the decision not to travel. With touring out of the question John’s options in the music industry was limited, but he managed to make a name for himself. He played semi-regularly with a few bands around town, but for the most part, he became known as the guy you called when someone fell out last minute which led to a lot of session work. Whatever his dad’s failures, the man did work, and Dean knew that. Dean was just too angry with his own life at the moment to interact with people.

“Wow,” his dad exclaimed sounding genuinely impressed, and not the least bit offended. His dad could act like a giant child, but at least, he never got offended by anything. Dean was normally a pretty relaxed person, but there was something about his dad, and some of his bullshit behavior that could make Dean see red with rage. In the heat of the moment, Dean had said some pretty ugly things to his dad in the past, and John never took any of it personally.

“Whatever it is must be real damn bad because I don’t think you’ve been this passive aggressive since the last time the landlord threatened to evict us,” John went as far as to whistle to punctuate his point. The fact that John could talk about their near-eviction so casually was a perfect example of the shit that would piss Dean off. The fact that they nearly got evicted because his dad called some bartender a pussy or some other bullshit and got fired from a three-day gig on the first night which meant they hadn’t had the money for rent just pissed Dean off more.

His dad sipped his coffee like he hadn’t managed to make Dean’s mood worse before returning his mug to the table and letting out a long sigh, “Kiddo, I’m going to level with you,” John declared seriously. “I could sit here and wait, but I’m still hung over from New Years, and don’t really have the patience.”

“Let’s not blame New Years for things you did last night,” Dean grumbled as he grabbed his own coffee and sipped at it. Without creamer, it was bitter like his mood, but it was going to have to fucking do because Dean was not driving to town to get creamer.

“Hey, kiddo, I get it. Something ‘s got your panties in a serious bunch,” John declared still not even close to sounding bothered. “But you’ve never had a problem talking to me about shit before.”

 _God- fuck! Gods_ , his dad had a point. As much as his dad could piss him off, Dean and John actually had a pretty good relationship. It probably had something to do with the fact that his dad acted like a teenager half the time, but Dean never had a problem talking to John about anything that was going on in his life. Dean didn’t get into a whole lot of trouble outside of some underaged drinking and sex (and it had been a long time for that one) so it wasn’t like he gave his dad anything to freak out about. Dean remembered his dad’s reaction to finding out Dean had lost his virginity- John asked if he had used protection and then high-fived him. Hell, sometimes John could even have good advice when it came to stuff.

Dean stared down at the black liquid in his mug and seriously considered just telling his dad about what was going on. Well at least about the Felix thing. He had heard what Will had said about the crazy demigod shit, and with that, he honestly wouldn’t have known where to start. They had never really talked about anything even remotely close to it, but Dean didn’t think his dad would care that he was…. _not_ gay but like bisexual. Maybe?

Dean didn’t even know if saying he was bisexual was accurate. It wasn’t like he wanted to fuck every hot guy he saw. It was really just Felix, but dear fucking god did Dean want Felix. Even knowing that Felix had tried to score with Will, Dean still wanted him. He didn’t particularly like him at the moment, but he wanted him, and that really was the problem.

Yeah, his dad could be helpful with random shit, but it was usually because he had been through it or at least something similar. His dad sure as hell had never been through anything remotely like this so what was the point of telling him. “It’s so fucking stupid, but there is this-” Dean almost said guy, but the word caught in his throat. Saying it out loud felt like it would make it all too real, and it didn’t matter. It wasn’t like Dean was going to start bringing home random guys, so why bother coming out? “-there is this girl.”

“Isn’t there always?” His dad grinned knowingly which was annoying as fuck. It wasn’t like Dean was constantly whining about girl problems. Hell, he rarely actually talked to his dad about girls at all. His dad used his foot to push the other chair that sat around their tiny kitchen table out as an invitation for Dean to sit.

He was annoyed sure, but Dean had already started talking so there really was no stopping. It wasn’t like his dad would let it go at this point. “We’ve always been… friendly or whatever, but I never really-” Dean gave in and dropped himself in the offered chair. He hadn’t realized how hard it would be to explain how things had started with Felix. From the moment they had met Dean had liked Felix, and he wasn’t fucking blind, so he knew Felix was fucking hot. If Felix had been a girl Dean would have realized right away that unnamable pull he felt toward Felix was sexual attraction, he wasn’t completely oblivious. But Felix wasn’t a girl, so Dean had just lived in complete denial for months like an idiot. He couldn’t explain that to his dad without getting into whatever the fuck Dean’s actual sexuality was, so he went with the closest explanation to the truth he could think of, “I guess, I didn’t think she was my type.”

“Let me guess,” his dad paused to sip his coffee. Knowing John, it was probably more for dramatic effect than an actual desire for coffee but at this point, Dean knew the only person he had to blame for this conversation was himself. After his dad returned his cup to the table he questioned in a tone that told Dean that his dad was sure he already knew that answer, “And then suddenly one day you realized she was?”

Dean wasn’t some fickle teenager. It was so much more complicated than that. Really, how was he supposed to know the intensity of the friendship he had built with Felix came, at least in part from some sort of sexual attraction? It wasn’t like he got a hard on every time Felix walked in the room. It was all so subtle and seemed so normal. He liked how Felix didn’t seem to care about what people thought and was never afraid to give an unpopular opinion. Dean knew that could make Felix come across like a complete dick, but really that was other people’s problem because Felix was just being honest. Dean liked that there never was any pretext with Felix, and he knew even if Dean was dead wrong Felix would have his back. Felix would probably call him an idiot, but he would still have his back. Dean had never had that with anyone besides for maybe Will, and even with Will, there had been secrets for so long. Felix could get so fucking passionate about things, Dean liked being around someone with such intensity. It also didn’t hurt that Felix looked like he belonged on the cover of GQ or something with his perfect hair, great eyes, full lips, and chiseled muscles. Yeah, so maybe the fact that Dean noticed Felix was hot day one should have been a sign, but it wasn’t like it was the first time he had noticed that another guy was hot, so he just dismissed that as normal. He always just figured that was a thing all guys noticed but just didn’t talk about.

Dean twisted his mug in his hand. “Not exactly, but yeah,” he replied. Actually explaining that Felix had always been his type, and Dean had just been really slow to figure it out was just too hard, and it would have raised questions.

“So, did she start dating some other douche bag?” John asked. Dean made a face. He didn’t mean to, but it was just reflex. The idea of Felix dating someone else, anyone else, made him nauseous. He normally wasn’t a possessive guy, but he very much wanted to imitate a five-year-old with a sharing problem and stomp his feet and scream mine at the top of his lungs. Weirdly, that thought made him think of Will, who definitely had stayed in the mine phase for far too long when they were younger. He never had an issue sharing with Dean, but if anyone else tried to touch his toys they were seriously in for it. Thinking of Will made Dean think of what had happened on New Years,’ and he probably made another face, but luckily his dad continued talking apparently oblivious. “You make a move and she turn you down? What happened?”

“No,” Dean picked up his coffee and sipped at it. The coffee was already tepid which was just the perfect metaphor for his life at this point. Dean was pretty sure it would have been better if Felix had turned him down or brushed him off. Now Dean had to live with the memory of them making out and knowing that it had been fucking hot. The chemistry between them had been more intense than anything Dean had experienced with anyone else before. If Felix had just brushed him off it would have fucking sucked because Dean had started to realize just how badly he wanted the guy, but he would have gotten over it, and the whole thing with Will wouldn’t matter as much. It would have been a kindness on Felix’s part, but that wasn’t what happened. Now Dean wasn’t going to be able to look at the guy without remembering the way he tasted and the feel of his chapped lips when they kissed, and the heat he had felt as they made-out and that Felix was probably thinking of Will the whole fucking time.

 _Fuck, when did my life get so fucked up_?

Dean pushed his cold coffee away with disgust before admitting, “We sort of hooked up on New Year’s Eve.”

That was absolutely a weird thing to actually tell a parent, Dean knew that. He couldn’t imagine telling Aunt Naomi he had gotten to second base with someone, and he didn’t get how Will could live after Aunt Naomi had found him and Nico sleeping together naked. His relationship with his dad was just fucking weird so he didn’t even think twice about it.

“Nice,” John praised sincerely. Dean was surprised that he didn’t offer him a high-five or something but was grateful for it. It didn’t feel like a good thing now that Dean knew everything Felix had done that night. His dad’s enthusiasm waned quickly, and he gave Dean a curious look before asking, “So where’s the problem?”

And there the problem was in a nutshell, wasn’t it? If that was the end of the story Dean would have been fucking ecstatic. He wouldn’t have stopped fucking smiling for the next month! But that wasn’t the end of the story, and the rest of it really went downhill. “I found out she made a pass at Will earlier that night,” Dean explained flatly as he ignored the taste of bile that filled the back of his throat at the thought. Saying it out loud made the whole thing more real, and it fucking hurt.

“Well, fuck,” his dad whistled, and Dean couldn’t tell if he was impressed or surprised. Either emotion would have been valid, it was both surprisingly unexpected and impressively shitty.

Dean let out a long sigh, and it was like the air that had filled his lungs had been the only thing that had been holding him up. He slumped down in his chair under the weight of all of it. He didn’t even care that his posture was a mirror image of his father’s. “So, now I don’t even know,” he admitted.

A truer statement could not have been made. Dean just didn’t even know. It wasn’t like Dean and Felix were dating or something, so it wasn’t like he got to stake a claim, but it felt wrong. Dean couldn’t stop thinking about it, and it was driving him absolutely insane.

“I never figured you and Will would end up competing for girls,” his dad stated thoughtfully which was just so cringe-worthy. It wasn’t his dad’s fault that no one had filled him in on the whole Will being gay thing. Dean probably should have been the one to clue him in, but Dean sort of liked the fact that he wasn’t the very last one to know. Dean recognized that was probably not the healthiest thought process but whatever. He was too tired to even muster the give a damn to cringe at the comment, so his dad just kept talking none the wiser, “Guess maybe I should’ve with you two being so close in age.” John shook his head like he still didn’t quite see it as he picked up his coffee, “You two never even fought over toys when you were both little.”

“It’s not even like that, not really,” Dean corrected. It, the problem, wasn’t some stupid sibling rivalry type of thing. “He- I mean Will- and this girl don’t really get along.”

His dad stopped mid-sip and returned his coffee to the table. He actually looked confused for the first time since the conversation had started. “So, Will isn’t interested in this girl?” he asked.

“Fuck no,” Dean dismissed easily.

Actually, if the situation was different he probably would have found the question laughable. Up until New Year’s Eve, Dean’s biggest issue had been the fact that Will and Felix could not get along. He and Will didn’t always get along with the same people. Will had hated both of Dean serious girlfriends, but that hadn’t seemed like such a big deal. With Felix, it had been different because the guy was his best friend next to Will so Dean had wanted them to get along. His feelings following New Year’s Eve were more complicated.

“But I’m still sort of pissed at Will about the whole thing,” Dean admitted quietly something that up until that moment he was really trying not to acknowledge.

Since Will had dropped the whole his bio-dad was the Greek god Apollo Dean really wanted to believe he was pissed off about that, but deep down he knew it wasn’t that. Dean knew it wasn’t Will’s fault or anything, but he was already banging an underwear model, getting straight A’s, and was a kick-ass soccer player. Dean just wanted _one_ thing, he just wanted Felix, and he didn’t want to fucking share for once in his fucking life. It was selfish and petty, but that was just how he felt. “And yeah, I know that’s not fair.”

“What’s fair got to do with anything?” John dismissed. That didn’t exactly make Dean feel better. John took a sip of what had to be ice cold coffee before asking, “You talk to her?”

John was serious if his facial expression was any indication. Dean didn’t laugh, but it was close. He had spent every second since Will (or Nico, Dean guessed) had spilled about what had happened New Years’ Eve dreading talking to Felix. Even the idea of exchanging a text message with the guy filled him with panic. Dean hadn’t been able to respond to the one message he had gotten from Felix but that hadn’t stopped him from staring at his cellphone for an unreasonable amount of time thinking about texting him back. The whole thing was borderline pathetic, and Dean knew it, but that didn’t stop him.

“And say what?” Dean questioned seriously.

The thought of talking to Felix at this point had Dean at a complete loss. _Did he act like everything was normal-_ fuck no, as much as that might have been easier Dean knew he couldn’t do it. _Did he call Felix out on the whole thing_ \- as much as Dean wanted to do that, he recognized it was risky. He sure as hell didn’t want to hear Felix honestly tell him that he would rather fuck Will but was willing to settle for Dean if he was drunk enough. He could always just tell Felix to go fuck himself- he definitely deserved it.

John wasn’t really a serious guy which was something that normally drove Dean nuts, but now, Dean would have given almost anything for his dad to approach this conversation with the same casual manner he used for everything fucking else. “Do you still like her?” John asked with more seriousness than Dean had ever heard him talk about shit that actually mattered like the bills, the fact that he “forgot” to pay rent, or like what was the deal with Dean’s mom (who was she, why had she taken the fuck off, did he have any idea where the fuck she was).

“I don’t fucking know,” Dean declared insistently even though he wasn’t so sure that was the truth.

He was fucking pissed, there was no denying that. Dean was pissed at Felix for making a move on Will and then hooking up with Dean on the same night. He was pissed at Will for being hit on which he knew was unfair and ridiculous. He was even pissed at himself for believing Nico and actually thinking a guy like Felix was into him. Yeah, he felt all of that, but fuck did the thought of Felix still fill Dean with want. It wasn’t even just sex (although that was part of it), but Dean just wanted to have Felix around, so he could talk to him and touch him and look at him. None of that mattered because obviously, Felix had a very different perspective on things.

“And even if I did, I’m not willing to be the consolation Solace,” he grumbled with less force because that more than anything else struck closer to the heart of the matter. Dean had never felt like he and Will competed for anything in their lives, and there was never any sense of quasi-sibling rivalry but now especially in the light of knowing Will was half-god or whatever…well, Dean just didn’t know.

“Jumping to a pretty big conclusion there, don’t you think?” His dad declared with a look like Dean was supposed to know what he meant. Dean didn’t have the slightest idea what he was talking about. Dean really didn’t see how he was jumping to conclusions. Felix had made a move on Will first. Actually, Felix had only made a move on Will because Dean had just assumed that Nico was right and had made a move on Felix first. Nico had probably just misread whatever fucked up attraction Felix was directing at Will. God, Dean had been such a fucking idiot.

John must have saw something in Dean’s face, maybe disbelief because this morning was the day his dad decided to try being a perceptive parent. “All I’m saying is people can do some real stupid, regretful things when there is alcohol involved. It might not be fair to judge them by it,” his dad shrugged like it was nothing. _If there was anything John had experience with it was drunken fuck-ups_ , Dean thought. “At least not until you hear them out.”

God, Dean didn’t like it but that was such a tempting suggestion. Maybe Felix did have a really good explanation, and the whole thing was just one big misunderstanding. Maybe Dean didn’t have to lose his best friend along with a good chunk of his personal identity that went along with suddenly being forced to question his sexuality. Tempting, yeah it was tempting, but it wasn’t enough to stop his brain from picturing Felix and Will together in vivid enough detail that it made him regret the coffee he had drank this morning.

It didn’t actually happen, Dean knew that, but the thought was enough. “So, I’m just supposed to forget that she tried to hook up with Will like an hour before actually hooking up with me?” Dean questioned. Saying the words out loud, even as oversimplified as it was, helped Dean hold on to the anger he really wasn’t ready to let go of yet.

“No,” John answered simply, “You just need to figure out if you like her enough to get past it.”

 _When did his dad get all wise and shit_ , Dean thought to himself with annoyance. He didn’t want to think about if he could get past it. He didn’t want to think about it at all. “What the fuck?” He hissed letting his annoyance turn into true anger and come out in his voice. “Why am I even listening to you?” he questioned as he pushed out of his chair with more force than necessary. “It’s not like you ever had to deal with this shit with Aunt Naomi so what do you know?”

Dean started out of the kitchen and back toward his bedroom feeling more frustrated now than he had when he had gotten out of bed. He clearly was in no mood to deal with people.

“Or continue to wallow, that works too I guess,” Dean heard his dad grumble before calling after him in a much more pointed tone. “You could at least call your fucking cousin! He's been blowing up the house phone all god-damn morning!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have a beautiful Wednesday beautiful people!!!
> 
> Comments and Kudos are always appreciated!


	32. Fallout

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't forget, it had just been a super shitty week.
> 
> Enjoy!!!

Will wasn’t a complete nerd, but he never got the level of dislike everyone around him usually expressed about the first day back to school after a break. It probably had something to do with the fact that Will was a morning person, so he was going to be up anyways unlike most of his school friends. Or maybe it simply had to do with the fact that after everything he had faced as the head counselor of the Apollo cabin and running the infirmary, school simply wasn’t that challenging.

This was the first time he actually understood it. He hated that Nico hadn’t ended up staying longer even though he knew he would be seeing Nico again at the end of the month for Nico’s birthday. Will also hadn’t slept well the night before, but that had nothing to do with Nico. He was worried about Dean. Nico had insisted that if Dean could already see through the mist the likelihood that he would lose his mind over the knowledge that the Greek gods were real was highly unlikely which honestly didn’t come as much of a reassurance. Dean was still at a greater risk of being attacked by a monster, and just because he wouldn’t go nuts didn’t mean he wouldn’t decide to hate Will for keeping such a huge secret from him.

And then there was the Felix thing. When Dean had left Will’s house days earlier he had clearly been trying to play it off like it wasn’t a big deal, but Will could tell that was just an act. Nico felt bad for dropping the whole ‘Felix made a pass at Will’ thing without context and Will felt guilty for just how badly he had reacted to Dean’s confession. It had just come as such a surprise Will was in no way prepared for it. For one, he had never figured Dean to be anything but straight. Maybe he had just been wrapped up too much in his own life to see the signs, but Will really hadn’t seen that coming.

Thing was, he didn’t think Dean had seen it coming either which just made Will feel worse about his reaction. He knew from somehow getting designated as the go-to person at camp for sexuality issues how that upsetting an unexpected realization about one’s own sexual identity could be. What Dean needed was for Will to listen, and maybe answer questions, not criticize his tastes in guys.

_But why did it have to be Felix? Dean could do so much better._

Will had tried to make it better after Nico had gone back to California by calling Dean, but Dean never answered and never called him back. The more time passed the more stressed Will got about the whole thing, and then Dean was late to pick him up for school. By the time he heard Dean’s ancient car roll into the driveway, Will was so stressed he thought he might vomit.

 _Dean was going through stuff_ , Will reminded himself as he stepped out the front door of his house. It wasn’t the time to freak out over a few unreturned phone calls. He wasn’t even completely out the door, and he could already hear the music coming from Dean’s car. He really didn’t know how to interpret that. Dean usually blasted the radio like he wanted to go deaf at an impressively young age but normally it was classic rock, not _I Found_ by Amber Run.

 _Did that mean something? Should I ask?_ Will wondered uncertainly. Dean was normally the put together one so Will didn’t know what he was supposed to do in this situation.

The volume went down just as Will pulled the car door and so did Will’s courage to ask any real questions. Instead, he sort of crouched outside the car like he was going to get in even though he didn’t actually move to sit. “Hey,” he greeted more seriously than was probably appropriate for first thing in the morning.

“Dude, don’t,” Dean declared firmly as he leaned over the center console and stared up at Will seriously. “Just get in the car.”

Dean usually wasn’t the type to order people around. He still got Will to do stuff a lot of the time when Will didn’t want to but not by bossing him around. Dean just usually managed that by pestering Will until he felt bad saying no. Dean was staring up at him with visible impatience, so Will followed the direction. It wasn’t like they didn’t have the ride to school to talk.

“Okay,” Will agreed disgruntledly as he climbed into the passenger seat of the car. He knew Dean loved his car, but Will really wished that it was bigger. Even with the seat put all the way back Will’s knees were crammed against the glove compartment. He pulled the door closed behind him before turning to Dean and pointing out cautiously, “So I called you a few times.”

Dean jammed the car into reverse and pulled out of the driveway so fast Will had to wonder if Dean was secretly auditioning to be a stunt driver in a Fast and the Furious movie. “We need to have a serious conversation about your definition of the word few,” Dean replied. He gave Will a look before shifting hard into drive and slammed his foot down on the gas and went speeding down the street.

Will knew Dean was right, he really had called Dean more than a few times, but he had been worried, and he was just got more worried the more times he called, and Dean didn’t answer. He could have probably admitted that, but he didn’t see a point so just kept his eyes on Dean, tried not to panic at Dean’s especially erratic driving, and waited for Dean to say something else.

Dean took a hard brake at the stop sign at the end of Will’s street and let out a sigh. “Yeah, dude I know.” He admitted. His voice wasn’t as aggressive as it had been before, but Will couldn’t tell if that was a good thing or not. “I just needed some time to think shit out on my own.”

“Yeah, I guess that makes sense,” Will grumbled. He wasn’t sulking, but Dean usually talked to Will about everything. Dean had never needed time on his own with things in the past, so it was hard for Will not to take it personally. He knew the demigod stuff was a lot to take in, but he thought Dean had actually taken that rather well, and Will really was there to answer any questions Dean might have had. “I still wished you would have called back,” he admitted quietly.

Dean took a left onto the main street without a turn signal which should have been terrifying, but Dean rarely actually used his turn signals, so Will was just habituated to it at this point. “Dude,” Dean started as he gave Will a quick, slightly annoyed look before turning his attention back to the road. “Didn’t Nico keep you busy enough?”

“He left for California not long after you did,” Will admitted as he tried to shift in his seat to get more comfortable, but somehow managed to jam his knee uncomfortably into the dashboard. Nico had originally planned on staying a little longer (maybe finish what they had started before Dean had interrupted them), but Percy kept calling, and the conversation with Dean had sort of killed the mood.

“What?” Dean laughed and looked away from the road to ask with genuine curiosity. “Are there prime times for shadow travel?”

“Um yeah,” Will answered a little taken back to hear Dean sound actually interested rather than defensive. “It’s actually easier for Nico to shadow travel at night,” he explained.

Dean nodded as he flew through a red light either without noticing or caring. “I guess that makes sense,” Dean admitted.

“Um…” Will hummed nervously as he gave a quick glance out the back window of the car. Even though Dean had most definitely run a red light no accidents or even near misses, but Dean really should never drive in a more populated place because that sort of thing wouldn’t end well. Dean normally was a bad driver but running red lights wasn’t one of his moves. Will looked back at his cousin and was at least a little relieved to see his eyes were currently on the road. “So, are you okay and everything?”

“Dude, I’m not going to lie. I’m still working to accommodate the whole Greek gods actually exist, and my aunt banged one into my general understanding of the universe.” He admitted with the same easy tone he had asked about shadow-travel. “Had to throw atheism out the window,” he shrugged, not seeming all that bothered. The whole casual approach to the information was either a good sign or a really bad one, and Will couldn’t tell which it was. “But hey, I do like research, so that’s been fun,” Dean turned and reached behind the passenger seat for a second. “And look,” Dean exclaimed as he produced a notebook from the back of the car and held it up for Will to see. “I’ve even been writing down questions,” he informed before tossing the notebook in Will’s lap.

“Um,” Will looked down at the notebook. Dean really did enjoy doing research. He was probably the only person to ever get excited about research papers in school. The fact that Dean was doing research about Greek Mythology could be a good thing like his way of processing the new information. Will wanted to be relieved or at least comforted, but he couldn’t help but think of the elephant in the room (or the car). “And what about the whole Felix thing?” Will might not have liked it or understood it, but Dean had seemed more upset when he found out Felix made a move on Will then when he heard Greek Gods and demigods were real.

It was the wrong thing to say, that became clear almost immediately. Dean became visibly tense, his knuckles practically turning white as he suddenly gripped the steering wheel impossibly tightly. “What about it?” Dean questioned harshly, and for once he kept his eyes on the road. That normally would have made Will incredibly happy, but in this case, it just made Will nervous.

Will sighed. He had been wanting to get rid of Felix from the moment he met the guy, and he had never once imagined that finally getting Dean to see the guy was a complete asshole would somehow turn into a problem. “Nico feels really bad about telling you what happened,” Will explained.

Will didn’t understand it, but Nico had been genuinely upset to the point he wanted to go to Dean to explain. Will guessed he understood that the information was presented a little out of context, but it hardly seemed like the important information that was discussed that morning. Dean’s reaction had been…well, it had been more than Will had expected. Then again, he hadn’t expected Dean to tell him he had made out with another guy either. “And you had seemed-” upset was the word that came to mind, but he didn’t think it accurately captured the whole of Dean’s reaction. Will didn’t try to find a better word because he doubted Dean would take any of them well. “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay,” he admitted.

Dean looked so tense Will was surprised he didn’t literally snap into a million pieces from it. He came to a hard stop at a yellow light which was jarring, but at the same time, Will appreciated that he actually stopped for that one. Will watched as Dean drummed his fingers against the steering wheel in an almost aggressive rate. “Psh, dude, that wasn’t even a big deal,” Dean declared. He was clearly trying to say it in a dismissive way, but he failed spectacularly so it just sounded forced to the point it was almost painful. “I had too much to drink at a party and where I fall on the Kinsey scale momentarily shifted a little,” Dean shrugged in the most uncomfortable way Will had ever seen in his life. “I’m sure I’m not the first person that has happened to.”

Will was one-hundred percent positive human sexuality didn’t work that way, but even if it did, the way Dean had reacted didn’t make sense. Will was pretty sure that it was more than that for Dean. Will didn’t want to push Dean to talk about something if he wasn’t ready, but at the same time, he had had to play the sexuality counselor too many times to not know that Dean’s denial wasn’t healthy, and it wasn’t going to end well. “Are you sure because the other day you really seemed-”

“I seemed what?” Dean interrupted quickly as he looked over his shoulder at Will. The annoyance was clear in his voice for a second, and Will got the feeling he was seeing a glimpse of the real emotion Dean was trying to hide. It didn’t last long before Dean reaffixed his casual façade. “Will, man, I’m not going to lie. At the moment, I was annoyed to find out I was second choice Solace but whatever, I’m already over it.”

Will blinked hard like he had just been slapped in the face. He didn’t really know how to take what Dean had said. He knew Dean was upset about what had happened with Felix even if Dean wasn’t admitting it, but not because of that. Will didn’t even get how Dean could think that was anywhere near what had actually happened. He should have been pissed that Felix had acted like a complete asshole or maybe be pissed that the guy that he might like turned out to be sort of easy but thinking that he was somehow Felix’s second choice didn’t make sense. Will didn’t even like Felix, but even he could see that wasn’t the case.

“Dean,” Will started sincerely. To be honest, he was a little worried that Dean could think that way. “It really wasn’t like that.”

Dean took a corner way too fast and sent Will slamming into the door. Dean’s eyes actually stayed on the road for once as he talked, not that it improved his driving any. “Dude, you don’t even like Felix so why do you care?”

Dean’s tone hadn’t been aggressive or inquisitive, but somehow the question felt like it was both. “What does that have to do with anything?” He questioned. Yes, he didn’t like Felix and yes, if Dean was going to go after a guy Will thought he could do better (and would have been happy to introduce him to some) but that didn’t mean Will wasn’t there to help his cousin through something. He thought Dean would know that.

“Will,” Dean sighed and decelerated slightly at the same time. “I’ve said I’m over it so just move the fuck on,” Dean ordered sounding suddenly exhausted.

It was probably selfish, but Will was a little hurt that Dean wasn’t willing to confide in him on this. Maybe he should have argued the fact that he didn’t like Felix. Dean was right, but maybe it would have made Dean feel better. “Dean-,” he started with ever increasing concern.

“Do you think you being gay has anything to do with your dad being Apollo?” Dean asked with what sounded like genuine interest as he cut Will off before he could ask a more substantial question. Will knew he had promised to answer questions about demigod stuff, but he was genuinely annoyed with Dean’s attempt to change the topic. “Because from what I’ve been reading Apollo really has no problems sticking his dick where ever, so does that affect his kids’ sexuality somehow?”

Will was still annoyed, and he normally wasn’t a big fan of talking about the fact that his dad was a giant slut, but he could recognize that Dean wasn’t going to talk about anything Will knew he needed to talk about. He gave up on trying for the moment and made a mental note to try again the next chance he got. The rest of the car ride Will explained his whole theory about how demigods’ sexuality was influenced by their godly parent. Dean was absolutely captivated, any of his previous annoyance gone from his voice.

Dean asked a lot of questions along the way especially when Will explained that it was actually odd that he was gay since most of the other children of Apollo he had met were more flexible. Still annoyed, Will had to admit that it was kind of nice to talk out some of his theories because Dean was a lot more receptive than most of his siblings at camp. That didn’t mean he didn’t notice how Dean was careful to steer the conversation away from anything that could be turned back around on him or anything near Dean’s own situation. Will let it go only because he had every intention of getting Dean to talk during the ride home.

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_

Despite the fact that Will and Dean were both technically seniors, they didn’t have a ton of classes together. They really only saw each other during gym and lunch, and since the first day back wasn’t a gym day they only had lunch together that day. It was probably a sign that they were codependent, but both Dean and Will had complained about that schedule at the start of the year. Now, Dean was actually grateful.

Will was great and everything, but Dean just couldn’t handle the questioning. Yeah, Dean got that Will was just worried about him or whatever, but he asked questions like he expected Dean to know how he felt about things. It was all just too much, and Dean had too many contradictory emotions about everything to answer any questions coherently.

Dean felt like fucking shit and just wanted to get through the god-damned day. He wasn’t even living under the delusion that he would actually be able to pay attention in any of his classes. It was the first day back from holiday break, so teachers’ expectations would still be pretty low. The next day was probably going to be an issue, but that was a bridge he would cross when he came to it.

 _It was totally doable_ , that was the lie Dean kept telling himself since he forced himself out of bed. He could go from class to class and pretend like he wasn’t upset, pissed off, and in the middle of an identity crisis. It wouldn’t be the first time Dean had faked being happy although it might have been the worst.

At least since Dean was a senior and Felix was a junior they didn’t have any classes together. Theoretically, Dean could get through the entire school day without ever actually seeing Felix. In reality to make that happen Dean had to make some changes to his routine: going to his locker at different times, taking different paths to class, and sending a B.S. text about how he wouldn’t be able to give Felix a ride to school like he always did.

Dean didn’t know how to handle the whole Felix situation, but he was pretty sure that he wasn’t ready to actually see him with his dark perfect hair, and gorgeous green and gold eyes, and kissable lips- _fuck_! Dean honestly didn’t know if he wanted to push Felix up against the lockers and punch him or kiss him. Yeah, he just wasn’t ready to actually see Felix, and he didn’t have to…until soccer practice after school.

 _Fucking practice_! Dean was seriously considering blowing off soccer because he just couldn’t fucking handle it. The only thing that stopped him was the fact that than Will would know something was seriously wrong, and then he would never shut up.

Still, as Dean made his way to his locker to drop off his shit from the morning before he headed to lunch Dean was revisiting the idea. That was probably why he hadn’t seen it coming, he was too lost in his own thoughts to fucking realize. Yeah, that was probably why, but Dean was going to blame the open door of his locker that had blocked his view.

“Hey dude,” the voice greeted from the other side of Dean’s locker door, essentially disembodied and immediately recognizable. It was deep without being too low or gravelly and the utter lack of southern twang just further accented its smooth quality. Dean had never realized how much he liked the sound of Felix’s voice until he heard it at that moment, and it felt like having his heart ripped out of his chest. “Did you have more car trouble?” Felix asked as Dean could hear the uncertainty in his voice.

Felix sounded nervous, and as pissed off and not ready to deal with this shit Dean was, he still had the urge to do something to sooth Felix’s nerves. God, he hated himself for that. He didn’t shut his locker because even having the thin piece of metal between them helped Dean feel a little more in control of the situation. Looking around the door he questioned shortly, “What?”

Dean watched Felix adjust his backpack strap on his shoulder and his eyes flint quickly to a few people walking past before settling back on Dean. “This morning,” he explained, and the anxiety coming off him was so thick Dean would have sworn he could see it hanging around the guy like an aura. Dean had to work hard to ignore it and stay mad. “Your text, I guess I just figured.”

“Oh,” Dean replied sharply before turning back to the contents of his locker. He couldn’t remember what he was getting and what he was putting back so he was just staring at the notebooks and other shit pointlessly. Still, it was better than looking at Felix. _That_ was going to kill his resolve at being angry.

“Right,” he heard Felix sigh heavily, and the sound just added to Dean’s growing need to be away from this whole situation. “Dude, I don’t want things to be weird or whatever so-” Felix started what sounded like a well-practiced speech.

Dean heard his dad’s advice ringing in his ears- _hear him out_ \- and he realized he absolutely couldn’t do that. He couldn’t stop thinking about it, and picturing it, and Dean knew he was making it worse in his head, but that didn’t make him feel any better. He just needed to get away from those thoughts and away from Felix before he threw up or threw a punch.

He gripped the locker door until the metal bit into his hand and then slammed it shut so hard he wouldn’t have been surprised if the sound was heard throughout the school. Everyone nearby had stopped and were looking at him, and Dean couldn’t give a fuck.

“Please tell me you are fucking kidding me!?! You don’t want things to be weird, really!?!” Dean shouted because he just couldn’t hold it in anymore. Felix’s fucking stunning eyes went wide with surprise. Apparently, when he had been practicing the little speech he hadn’t run through the possibility of Dean being pissed. The surprise on his face actually made Dean feel guilty and that in turn made him more pissed off.

Felix actually took a step back almost walking into some freshman that had been too concerned with gawking at the drama to get the fuck out of the way. Dean’s fists were clenched so tightly he wouldn’t have been surprised to find his short nails had left marks in his palms, but he couldn’t make himself relax. So Dean just stood there angrier then he thought he had ever been in his life watching Felix search his face with a look of pure confusion. For a split-second Dean watched Felix’s eyes drift off to something over Dean’s shoulder and then understanding seemed to wash over his perfect features.

Everything about Felix’s body language and general aura shifted dramatically. He seemed to turn in on himself as he downcast his eyes. Dean really hated how much it bothered him to see Felix like that. There was an instinct to try to make it better that Dean had to work hard to ignore, but he wasn’t going to settle for being anyone’s second choice.

“Dean,” Felix barely managed a whisper. He honestly sounded like a kicked puppy, and it wasn’t fucking fair. “I can-”

Dean couldn’t do it. He knew what Felix was going to say or at least he imagined he did. It was so fucking tempting to let Felix continue. Dean wanted to be reassured, and if Felix could offer him that he at least wanted an out. He wanted some magical escape hatch that would allow him to walk away from this whole thing with his sense of self, intacted and unshaken. And that was why letting Felix talk was so fucking tempting because he wanted all of that so fucking badly. But it would all be a lie, and a lie he would be too willing to listen too, so he couldn’t let it happen.

“You know what,” he cut Felix off with a sharp tone. Reaching out, Dean slammed his hand against the door of his locker to punctuate his point. “Do us both a fucking favor and stay the fuck away from me.” Dean was both impressed and disgusted with just how threatening the words sounded because deep down he recognized that it wasn’t a threat at all. It was a plea for his sanity and his dignity.

As ugly as it was, it worked. He watched Felix’s eyes flint upwards to meet his own for the shortest of seconds before looking away. He didn’t argue or try to justify. Actually, if anything, Felix seemed to shrink further into himself.

Again, Dean chose to focus on his anger rather than the guilt, and the hurt he was feeling. Dean pushed off his locker with enough force to make the thing issue a strange noise. To get to the cafeteria Dean would have had to have walked past Felix, but there was no fucking way he was going to do that. What if they touched somehow? What if Felix tried to stop him by grabbing his arm or something? Nope, it wasn’t worth that risk.

Dean turned his back on Felix and walked in the other direction. He caught sight of Will halfway down the hall, and from the look of shock and concern on his face, Dean was pretty sure Will had seen the whole little show. That didn’t exactly bode well for his ‘just don’t talk about it’ plan, but half the school had probably seen that blow up which meant the rest would know about it by the end of the day, so there was no hope of that anyway.

He didn’t even slow down as he walked past Will even though his final destination was a mystery even to him. Still, he heard Will suck in a breath, and knew Will was going to launch into questions or reassurances or something and he wanted none of it. This wasn’t a broken leg, Will couldn’t fix this, and he needed to realize that.

“No, I don’t want to fucking talk about it,” Dean warned Will as he passed in a tone that left no room for questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry
> 
> I swear I am
> 
> I really am


	33. Curiosity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this isn't what you probably want after the last Outtakes chapter but I promise more Delix stuff soon :)

It was the middle of the day when Nico slipped into his cabin. The day had been busy and more or less fine. Being friends with Austin was like being friends with Percy, it was great and always interesting, but sometimes Nico just wanted to be alone. He was definitely having one of those moments which would have been fine before, but with a bored Austin as a friend, it was an actual challenge. He hadn’t had to shadow-travel to actually shake him, but it had been a near thing. So, when he managed to slip past the marble doors and into the shadowy space of his cabin it was a sweet relief.

The door slid shut behind him as he kicked off his boots. As his socked feet hit the cold stone floor, he had what might have been the most beautifully perfect idea he had ever had- he could take a nice long nap and lounge in the silence of the Hades cabin until dinner.

He was halfway to his bed when his plan was sent off the rails, but it was surprisingly enough not because Austin had burst into his cabin uninvited and without knocking. The cell phone that Nico almost always kept in his back pocket with Will away from camp issued a loud ring and vibrated insistently.

The only reason Nico even had the thing was so he could talk to Will, but Percy and Jason occasionally called him on it too. It was probably one of those two because it was far too early for Will to be calling so he seriously considered just ignoring it. The thing that stopped him was that the phone would just keep ringing, and if it was Percy calling he would try at least two more times before giving up.

As he walked toward his bed he dug his phone out of his pocket and moved it into his view. The phone issued a second ring and Nico actually had to stop in his tracks to get a better look because he couldn’t be reading the screen correctly. Not only was Will’s name ablaze on the screen, but so was his picture.

Nico was going to blame Chiron and his weekly lectures about increased monster activity and the need for increased caution for his anxiety. Nico knew even though the monster activity had increased, it still wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been. Seeing Will’s name and face normally filled him with joy, but all he felt was panic. He suddenly regretted taking off his shoes and was at least grateful that his sword was strapped to his hip.

The third ring and buzz what finally forced Nico out of his panic and got him to actually answer the phone. “Hey Will, what’s wrong?”

All Nico wanted was to hear Will’s voice, with his southern accent that was just more pronounced when he was back home, say something casual like he had been bored or just to ask why Nico sounded so worried. Nico didn’t get that, at least not exactly. “You have to help me,” Will stated.

There wasn’t the urgency in Will’s voice that Nico would expect if he was in the mists of a monster attack but that wasn’t enough to silence Nico’s anxiety. “What’s wrong?” he questioned as his eyes scanned his cabin for the deepest, darkest shadow he could use if he needed to travel to Tennessee in a hurry.

“I can’t answer any more questions,” Will explained seriously. “And Dean has _so_ many questions”

“Oh,” Nico exclaimed as he tried to hide his surprise. He hadn’t even realized that his hand had moved to rest on the halt of his sword until he was forced to face just how stupid that was. He was relieved to hear that Will was safe, but he still felt stupid for jumping to the worse case scenario.

It took him a minute to shift out of battle-mode and relax. He slowly eased his hand away from his sword and restarted in his course to his bed slowly. “How is Dean?” he questioned as he felt his battle-tested reflexes slowly ease back. He had actually been thinking about Dean the last few days but hadn’t had the nerve to ask Will about him. He was glad it was coming up now.

“Inquisitive,” Will replied. He clearly wasn’t trying to hide his exhaustion.

“I gathered,” Nico stated as he took a seat on the edge of his bunk. Nico wasn’t sure exactly what Will had expected. Will had just told Dean that gods and monsters were real. Dean seemed like he was pretty bright, so he was going to have questions. It was really an inevitability and wasn’t at all what Nico had been wondering about when it came to Dean. “But that is not what I meant,” he pointed out. He actually hated bringing up the other thing, but the more Nico thought about it the more guilty he felt for his part in the whole situation, however small. “How is he doing with the whole Felix thing?”

Will let out a disgruntled huff that Nico knew just from the sound that it was accompanied by an annoyed eye roll. “No idea,” he replied with frustration, “He refuses to talk about it.”

“But does he seem okay?” Nico questioned with what was probably false hope. If Nico was being honest with himself, he would have recognized the fact that Dean refusing to talk about it was a pretty clear sign that he wasn’t okay.

“He’s not talking about it which isn’t really like Dean so no, not really,” Will answered, confirming Nico’s fears.

Nico sighed and let himself fall back on the bed. He knew it was just in his head, but he swore his bunk was less comfortable when Will wasn’t there. “Do you know if he’s talked to Felix?” Nico knew that Dean didn’t talk to anyone for the rest of the weekend after finding everything out, Will had been pretty vocal about that. Will had also mentioned there had been a bit of a blow out between the two, but Nico really hoped that something had happened since then.

“Not since the first day back at school,” Will answered sounding completely exasperated.

“Oh,” Nico didn’t hide his disappointment. He wouldn’t go so far as to say he liked Felix. The guy was every bit as abrasive as Will had made him out to be, and Nico definitely wasn’t okay with him hitting on Will, but there was something between Felix and Dean. Nico had recognized it the moment he saw Dean and Felix, and it just didn’t seem right that they didn’t figure out what it was.

“Yeah, it’s made practice really weird,” Will explained. Will had a very different feeling about the whole situation, and he wasn’t good at hiding it. He was still worried about Dean, Nico knew that, but he was glad that Felix wasn’t in the picture. “Coach is so confused.”

Nico hadn’t really given anything thought to how the whole situation would play out in practice, but he could see how that would make it awkward. Nico thought about it for a few seconds before he admitted quietly, “I feel bad for Felix.”

Nico felt bad for Dean too, and he recognized that Felix had pretty much made the whole mess for himself. Still, in a very strange way, Nico could relate to Felix. Looking back Nico recognized that he had made some bad decisions when he had feelings for someone he thought would never reciprocate. The situations were so different, but Nico could still find enough similarity between them to be sympathetic.

“Why?” Will questioned with clear bewilderment, “It’s Felix, I don’t.”

Nico sighed heavily. He didn’t want to point it out, but Nico could understand why Dean wasn’t talking to Will if that was the tone he got at the mention of Felix’s name. “Will-,”

Will cut him off before he could continue. “Hey, Dean!” Will greeted so loudly it was clear he was signaling for a change of topic just as much as greeting his cousin.

Nico could hear talking that he assumed was Dean but couldn’t make out the words. He did hear Will let out a nervous laugh that Nico recognized as Will’s _I’ve been caught_ laugh. “No, of course not,” Will insisted unconvincingly. There was more speaking that Nico couldn’t make out before Will seemed to answer a question from Dean. “Yeah.” Again, there was more talking from the other end of the phone because that in no way was starting to get annoying. “Um, sure,” Nico heard Will hum uncertainly before speaking, and for once the words actually seemed directed at Nico, “I’m going to put you on speaker phone, okay?”

“Sure,” Nico replied as he stared up at the blackness of his cabin’s ceiling.

There was the sound of shuffling on the other end of the line for a minute before he heard a soft click. A voice came from the other end of the call that was similar to Will’s but still distinctly different. Most of the differences were subtle, but the Tennessee accent was noticeably thicker. Nico had no trouble recognizing it as Dean’s voice. “Hey, Nico, how’s camp?”

“Fine,” Nico gave the expected response. For the most part, camp was actually fine besides for Chiron’s weekly updates which were nothing more than scare tactics. He spent a lot of his time with Austin and Cecil and Mitchell when he had a gig, but he still felt lonely at times. Nico wouldn’t tell Will this, but he was counting the days until Will would visit for his birthday. “How are you?”

“Same old, same old,” Dean replied easily with one of those answers that didn’t actually mean anything, and Nico didn’t really understand that. “But is camp cold? I mean it’s winter in New York.”

“I’ve explained this five times already,” Nico heard Will declare with complete exasperation.

“It’s winter in New York!” Dean retorted with force. Will and Dean might have been cousins, but Nico had no doubt they had grown up together because they could bicker like siblings.

“It is cold but much milder then it should be,” Nico answered. He recognized Dean’s whole question for the deflection that it was but figured Dean had the right. “Some cabins have fireplaces, but I’m pretty sure all the buildings are enchanted to sustain a comfortable temperature year-round,” he explained as he glanced around his own cabin. There was no fireplace in sight, instead just a dozen bunks, most of which had never been occupied. “My cabin somehow always manages to be cold,” he commented absently.

“Is that a Hades thing?” Dean questioned with a curiosity that Nico was starting to get used to from the older Solace. “Is the underworld cold?”

“It can be in places,” Nico answered easily. He could have gone into more detail, but no one really wanted to hear a lecture about the varying climate of the underworld.

Dean didn’t jump straight into his next question which gave Nico hope that he was done. Then he heard Dean take a long breath and knew it was the exact opposite. “Okay so I have a question,” Dean declared.

“Surprise,” Nico heard Will sigh heavily on the other end of the phone.

Nico really couldn’t see what could be so bad about a question, so he just went with it. “Okay.”

“I think I’ve been able to figure out most of this god stuff,” Dean stated with confidence. Nico knew that Dean was pretty bright, but he doubted he had all of the god stuff figured out even if he thought he did. Nico wasn’t going to point that out, but it did make him smile a bit. “But one thing still confuses me.”

“Okay,” Nico repeated because he felt like he should say something. He honestly couldn’t even guess at what had Dean confused. There were just too many possibilities to be narrowed down with such little information.

He heard what sounded like Dean taking a deep breath which made him a little nervous. “The whole big three gods and their deal not to have kids,” Dean started.

“Oh-,” Nico heard Will exclaim in an attempt to interrupt Dean which was in no way successful.

“So, I get that Zeus and Poseidon broke that deal which totally makes sense,” Dean continued completely ignoring Will. “It seems like ninety-five percent of Greek mythology is those two sticking their dicks where they don’t belong.”

Nico smirked a little at that. “You are not wrong,” he agreed. It was one of those things that were definitely not a positive for either god, but you could usually point it out because it wasn’t like either god was ashamed of it. Still, he could imagine Will sitting with Dean as he said that looking completely horrified.

“But you or Will said Hades didn’t break the deal, but like, you exist, and don’t you have sisters?” Dean asked. Nico now understood where Dean was going with his question, and his stomach dropped. He should have seen it coming, but he didn’t, and now he regretted agreeing to answer anything. “How’s that possible?”

“Oh, um,” Nico hummed as he tried to think how he could answer the question without actually giving away any personal information. “It’s complicated.”

“You know, that is a perfect summary of Greek mythology,” Dean replied. He very much sounded like a reporter in some gritty old movie as he spoke. “I think I can handle it,” he assured.

“I….” Nico started but didn’t really know where he was actually going. Considering that Dean was Will’s cousin, Nico figured he should just explain the whole thing because Dean probably wasn’t going to let it go. “Um….,” he hummed. He didn’t really want to share that information. He had gotten past getting upset about his past, but people just got so weird about it, and it always led to a bunch of questions he didn’t want to answer. “I just don’t count,” he declared with resignation.

 _Maybe that would be enough_.

“But why?” Dean asked.

_Apparently, that wasn’t enough._

“Dean!” Nico heard Will exclaim disapprovingly on the other end of the line.

“It’s just a question!” Dean shouted back at Will. “Calm down.”

“I …” Nico took a deep breath to steely himself and tried again. “I mean my sisters and I were born before.”

“Before what?” Dean questioned, “Before the godly deal or whatever?”

“Yes,” Nico replied flatly. _What were the chances Dean wouldn’t do the math on that_? Nico wondered.

“But I thought that had something to do with World War II,” Dean wondered out loud. Nico remained silent as he heard Will grumbled indistinctively on the other end of the line. He couldn’t make out Will’s words, but he could tell his tone was harsh and sharp. He could easily imagine Will telling Dean to drop it. There was a half a second of silence, and Nico had hope Will was successful but then Dean gasped, “Holy fuck! When were you born!?!”

“Dean!” Will exclaimed angerly, “Did you not hear what I just said!?!”

Nico considered just letting them argue in hopes that he would be forgotten, but he wasn’t entirely confident that would work. “1929,” he answered.

The arguing on the other end of the called died, and Dean was the one to speak first. “What?” he questioned.

“I was born in 1929,” Nico explained, “January 1929.”

“Jesus Christ! How!?!” Dean exclaimed loudly, “Is that like a child of Hades’ superpower? Is this like a Highlander type of situation?”

Nico felt his eyebrows furrow. Everyone had their reactions to hearing how “old” Nico was, but he normally at least understood what they were saying. He only understood about a third of what Dean had just said. “What’s a Highlander?” he asked.

He heard Will let out a long sigh before answering flatly, “Proof that Dean is a nerd.”

“Bite me, that show was so cheesy it was good!” Dean retorted insistently. “And that’s really not the point, so will someone answer my question?”

“Well, it’s different,” Nico answered, “Depending.”

“What does that mean?” Dean questioned, and Nico thought he could hear his patience slipping. It was subtle, and Nico probably wouldn’t have picked up on it if it wasn’t for the fact that Dean had a lot of the same vocal tells as Will.

“Dean,” Will groaned, “Please just let it go.”

“The reasons were different for me and Bianca and Hazel,” Nico clarified. He didn’t have much faith in Will’s pleading having any real effect.

“How?” Dean asked. He was back to sounding just curious.

“Well, Hazel had died” Nico explained. Out of all of it, Hazel’s part of the story was probably the easiest for him to tell. “She died killing a giant in Alaska in 1942,” he clarified. “I brought her back from the field of Apostle.”

“Wow,” Dean whistled, “That is heavy.”

“Yes, it is, so we can _please_ change the topic,” Will pleaded. Nico had to appreciate how desperate Will sounded on his behalf. “I’m sure there are other things you want to ask.”

“So, did you die too?” Dean asked completely ignoring Will.

“You don’t have to answer that!” Will declared firmly before shouting at Dean. “I would pay you money to stop asking questions.”

Nico heard Dean snort derisively before retorting, “What money?”

“No,” Nico answered before Will and Dean devolved into more sibling-like bickering. “I’ve never died.”

“Okay,” Dean dragged out the word as he seemed to think about that bit of information. “Honestly, I’m back to the Highlander thing.”

“I still don’t know what that means,” Nico admitted. He really had gotten a lot better when it came to pop culture references or at least he thought he had, but whatever a Highlander was it was outside of Nico’s frame of reference.

“Are you immortal?” Dean questioned. Apparently, they were skipping right over whatever a Highlander was. At least Nico was rather familiar with this general line of questioning and could even guess what Dean’s next question would be. “Holy fuck, are you a vampire?” Dean asked much as Nico had suspected he would. “I’m not going to lie, I’m rooting for vampire if for no other reason than all the Twilight jokes I could make,” he explained before adding. “I realize that makes me a shitty person.”

“What’s Twilight?” Nico asked. This time it at least sounded familiar, but Nico couldn’t quite place it.

“It’s a horrible vampire romance novel,” Dean answered.

“Oh,” Now that Nico heard it, that sounded right.

He heard a derisive snort come from the other end of the line before Will asked doubtfully, “And when have you read Twilight.”

“You remember my ex,” Dean replied like that explained everything. It didn’t really explain much for Nico, but maybe it did for Will.

“You read a book for an ex?” Nico questioned after giving it a moment’s thought. “That’s really sweet,” he admitted. He wasn’t surprised, that sounded like the sweet sort of thing that Will would have done, and Dean and Will seemed similar in that way.

“No, she dragged me to the movies,” Dean corrected with a dismissive laugh, “And I wanted to get laid, so I went along with it.”

“Well, then never mind,” Nico replied a bit disappointed or at least a little disillusioned. “And no, I’m not a vampire,” Nico answered for what had to be the hundredth time in his life.

“Okay….?” Dean let the rest of his question hang in the air unsaid but still clear.

“Nico, you don’t-,“ Will was quick to jump in to assure.

“It’s fine,” Nico cut Will off before he could finish. Nico knew what he was going to say, that he didn’t have to talk about it. Nico knew that, and in the past, he would have held strong to it, but now even if it wasn’t comfortable he could talk about it. “After our mother died, Hades hid Bianca and me away in a place that…” he paused as he thought of the best way to describe the Lotus Hotel before continuing, “…is outside of time until it became clear that both Zeus and Poseidon broke the deal.”

There was a long stretch of silence, and this time Nico didn’t dare get excited by it. “Do you remember?” Dean finally asked, “Being out of time.”

Nico was more than a little surprised. It took most people longer to truly wrap their mind around what had happened to Nico and ask more potent questions. “Yes,” Nico answered deciding that getting into the actual details wasn’t necessary, “I do.”

“That must be strange as fuck,” Dean whistled.

Nico grinned to himself a little because that was a first too. “A bit,” he agreed because how could he not.

“So how old were you?” Dean questioned. “When pulled out of time or whatever?”

“About ten,” Nico answered

“Wow…. _wait_ ,” Dean exclaimed. “Didn’t you say…..?” He started and then stopped before he even finished the question, and Nico really didn’t have enough information to guess. “Oh my god! You grew up in World War 2 Italy!?!”

 _Oh, right_ , Nico let out a sigh, _Will just had to have a smart cousin_. “I was young for a lot of it, but yeah,” he admitted. Nico was back to not wanting to talk about this.

Nico heard talking on the other end of the line, but it was suddenly too muffled for Nico to understand. He could tell Will and Dean were talking back and forth, and it sounded heated, but the words were lost. It sounded like someone had their hand over the phone to prevent him from hearing.

It went on so long Nico considered hanging up. He was a second from doing it before Will’s voice came back from the other end of the call. “So that officially ends question time for the day,” Will declared firmly. Nico had to admit he was relieved to hear that.


End file.
